The Strategist Knight
by Linkonpark100
Summary: Nirvos Veuillet had lived an extravagant life, fighting against many enemies. Serving Eostia to the best of his abilities, will he be able to fight against a full-scale uprising?
1. Nirvos Veuillet

**BASIC INFORMATION**

Full Name: Nirvos Veuillet

Nickname(s) or Alias: Nir, Strategist Knight

Gender: Male

Species: Pitch

Age: 17

Birthday: 19th November

Sexuality: Heterosexual

City or town of birth: Small village in the West

Currently lives: Ken

Languages spoken: English, Pitch

Native language: English

Relationship Status: Single

 **PHYSICAL APPEARANCE**

Height: 5'4"

Figure/build: Lithe but built

Hair colour: Bioluminescent blue

Hairstyle: Long and wavy

Eye colour: Bioluminescent blue

Scars/distinguishing marks: None

Preferred style of clothing: Armor

 **PERSONALITY**

Personality: Nirvos is calm yet valiant. He is always courageous and heroic, facing impossible odds in stride. He has the utmost faith in his allies and, though he may not agree with all of their decisions, he believes in their integrity. A compassionate and trustworthy man, he is easy to be on good terms with. He believes in virtue and justice. However outside war, he is a very reclusive individual. A shy person, it seems to have stemmed from the lack of friends from his childhood. Once he knows a person well enough, his friendliness is revealed and his impish and mischievous side kicks in.

Likes: His horse, literature, woodworking and traps.

Dislikes: Traitors, bandits, pirates and goblins.

Favorite colour: Blue

Hobbies: Weapon practice

 **SKILLS**

Talents/skills: Singing, combat and strategist

 **COMBAT**

Peaceful or aggressive attitude? Balanced

Special skills/magical powers/etc:

 **Floating** \- While he is capable of doing such, he prefers to walk since he was raised on how to walk.

 **Sonic screams** \- A basic defense tactic that all Pitchs can do. A piercing screech that can be used as an attack or just as a useful distraction to get away from tough enemies. This has served well for his stratagems.

 **Enchanting singing** \- Nirvos is still a bit young and is still learning so his songs aren't quite as powerful as the others. But for now he knows two songs. One creates realistic illusions in front of the onlooker but the hallucination will only hold for as long as he's able to concentrate on it since doing so can quickly drain his energy. The other song that he sings creates a rare type of gem known as a Luminari Stone. He normally doesn't mention this ability however because being able to create valuable gems practically out of thin air might easily attract the attention of those who would want to take advantage of his power for their own gain.

 **Light manipulation** \- The portion of him that is made up of light he's able to control its brightness; dimming it so as to blend in better within nearby shadows or even make it brighter so as to create a blinding light around her. Though this takes up much more energy than when simply dimming his light. This was one of the reasons why he wore armor.

Weaknesses: Although Pitchs are made up of both darkness and light they really are made up of more darkness and therefore are more nocturnal creatures. They thrive off the light of the moon but not so much from the sun. Since sunlight is much more intense than moonlight it can actually quickly drain their powers and even give them burns if they're exposed to it too long. However by wearing a specially designed stone, like the one Nirvos wears around his neck, they can move about throughout the day with no problems. Though this can be a disadvantage as well. There's always the possibilities that they may lose the stone or someone might take it away from them. Either way, being in daylight without their stone can render them completely helpless because they'd eventually lose even the energy to float, their legs being almost useless since they never walk so they'd be extremely defenseless. Their special songs can always normally get them out of a pinch though, but if they were somehow even rendered incapable of voicing their songs aloud then they would really be in quite a bind. Nirvos hides the stone really well because he hides it underneath his armor.

Weapon of choice (if any): Moonlight Reaver, his sword

 **FAMILY, FRIENDS AND FOES**

Parents: Deceased

Siblings? Relationship with siblings?: Deceased

Other Important Relatives: Unknown

Partner/Spouse: None

Children: None

Best Friend: Gareth May, a former slave who was rescued by Nirvos. To repay him in kind, he allowed Nirvos to stay with his family in his cottage. Gareth works as an engineer.

Other Important Friends:

-Iosef Yago, a former scholar from the old days. He was the one that taught Nirvos the art of war.

-Christopher Ballis and Hanzer Padume, two former slaves that went on to serve under Nirvos's militia. After the disbandment, Christopher works as a courier and Hanzer began his own bar.

-Claudia Levantine, Nirvos's former superior officer. Having worked together against a pirate fleet, Claudia had put in a good word for Nirvos.

Acquaintances:

-Celestine Lucross, the high queen and goddess of Eostia. She had personally paid visits to him three times and managed to earn Nirvos's loyalty. However, it seems rather distant because of Nirvos's duties.

Enemies? Why are they enemies?

-Nhuvasarim, a cult that worships the demoness Laharah, they have tortured a majority of Nirvos's men. Currently in hiding, they were the reason why Nirvos disbanded his militia.

 **BACKSTORY**

 _Childhood and training:_

Nirvos was born in a village up in the West. Adopted into a family of farmers, he had an older brother and a younger sister. Because of how different he was, Nirvos was considered to be an outcast. However, he had dreamt of becoming a knight one day. During a fishing trip, his village was attacked by a goblin infestation. When he came back, everything was gone, especially his family. Burning with vengeance, he began to wander around Eostia until he stumbled into a weapon master. Telling him his motivations, the old warrior took him under his wing and began to train him with multiple weapons. However, he became hot-headed and challenged his master to a duel due to his stemming desire for goblin blood. Defeated and beaten soundly, he was taught humility and became the compassionate person he is today. Satisfied, the weapon master had sent him to a scholar, who taught him the art of war. When it came to tactics and formations, Nirvos studied each and every single one of them. He had realized that he enjoyed learning.

 _Goblin infestation:_

Nirvos made his start by handling with the goblin infestations. Armed with a short sword and rusty armor, he had handled the goblins with the knowledge of traps. Over the time, he would pick up weapons and use them to combat the goblins on their own. He had suffered minor wounds, but his prowess in combat and strategy grew.

 _Bandit subjugation:_

Once the infestation was cleared out, he began to help out at refugee camps to help them build their homes. The only thanks he needed was a bowl of food and a cup of water. With bandits on the rise, the refugees were unable to do anything. Nirvos took the task to fight against the bandits. One battle involved a decoy and an arbalest. Needless to say, he was victorious against them. Once the bandits have cleared out, he began to help the refugees to build their homes and used the bandit forts as resources to build. Over the time, he had gotten better equipment.

 _Barbarian raids:_

Barbarian tribes began to harass villages everywhere. With food being lost easily, villagers were losing income. However, it became an even bigger problem when they began to demand women. One negotiator even ended up dead when his head was sent back to a village. Realizing that they were ruthless, Nirvos took the task to fight the barbarians. With his tactics, he had lured them with taunts and had them fall into pits. Once the barbarians were repelled, Nirvos returned to his master's home to mourn for his death. From his master's will, he had inherited the signature gold armor he is now known today along with the sword, Moonlight Reaver.

 _Gladiatorial pits and Nirvos's militia:_

Once Nirvos had finished tending to personal matters, he had heard of an underground slave market that was using slaves to combat each other in a colosseum. Even corrupt nobles were in on it. Disillusioned with the society, Nirvos went undercover as a slave to bring the operation down. Horrified that the slaves were being slaughtered by well-established gladiators, Nirvos's resolve made him climb the ranks. When not fighting, he trained the slaves into warriors and boosted their spirits. Soon, the time was right and a riot was instigated. The slave masters were killed and the slaves were free. While some of them returned to their homes, others followed under Nirvos's leadership and became a militia.

 _Pirate wars:_

Reports of the sea being blocked by pirates went to his ears. Realizing that these pirates were taking resources from outside Eostia, Nirvos took up the task and lead his army to a war on the high seas. There, he had met Claudia Levantine, a bodyguard and knight of the goddess Celestine Lucross. While initially distrusting of Nirvos, she eventually agreed to a temporary alliance against the pirates. Navy battles were a disadvantage to him since his army's boats were smaller and weaker due to a lack of resources. However, his strategic mind was able to make up for it as he was able to aim for the enemy ship weakspots. One of the stratagems involved using a well-executed pincer formation and a volley of fire arrows. Eventually, the pirates surrendered and a negotiation was in place. They eventually were sentenced to protect the border of Eostia.

 _Nhuvasarim and disbandment:_

A cult was spotted in a northern town, where they worshipped the demoness Laharah. Nirvos and his army eventually began to investigate the town. Unfortunately, a majority of his men were abducted. Alarmed, Nirvos began a night search. Using the same tactics he had used against the goblins, he eventually fought back against the cult members. Nirvos had found his kidnapped men tortured and bled to death. Even worse, a few cult members had fled from the town and were still in hiding. Distraught, Nirvos disbanded his militia and continued to wander around.

 _Celestine Lucross pays three visits:_

News of Nirvos's army being disbanded had spread. Celestine had inquired Claudia about the man himself. Claudia had told her about Nirvos's prowess in battle, strategizing and courageous leadership, but also added that he was a reclusive person. Curious and with the war against Olga Discordia becoming intense, Celestine decided to pay him a visit personally.

Meanwhile, Nirvos had spent his days training and studying in a small cottage owned by one of the former slaves from the colosseum. When he was free, he helped with the farming. However, he still wore his old armor due to his identity as a Pitch.

One day, Celestine had arrived at the cottage he was staying. Claudia was reluctant to protect Rad in Celestine's absence, but initially did so. Celestine had knocked and out came not Nirvos, but a family. The family revealed that Nirvos was away on errands. As she spoke with the family, they were amazed by her humility and respect. Disappointed but determined, Celestine left. The next day, Celestine had returned. However this time, it was Nirvos's former comrades that came out, waiting for Nirvos and the family to return just to reminisce on good ol' times. They had told her that Nirvos was busy taking the family on a boat trip. They eventually questioned her intentions about Nirvos's recruitment, but they admired her sincerity. Undeterred, Celestine had left.

The next day, Celestine made another visit to the cottage. Finally, Nirvos had answered the door. When they began to discuss matters, Nirvos recalled on how he was told that Celestine had tried to visit him personally. Impressed by her perseverance and patience, he had accepted and joined her in combatting Olga's dark forces.

 _Service under Claudia:_

Equipped with his trademark equipment once more, Nirvos served as an officer under Claudia. He undertook both military and administrative duties whenever one of his fellow officers were busy. Nirvos never saw the Seven Shield Princesses as he volunteered in quelling the bandit riots. When the Viceroy of Lucull (the ex-capital of Eostia) declared independence thanks to Olga's aid, Claudia was asked to lead the attack. Nirvos used another means of strategy and helped Claudia take back Lucull without casualties. Later, they would go on to reinforce Ansur and execute the viceroy.

When reporting back, Claudia claimed that it was Nirvos's strategies that helped them with a decisive victory and recommended a promotion. Celestine rewarded Nirvos the position of head strategist.

 **ABOUT PITCHES**

A feral type of creature composed of both darkness and light and a distant cousin to the Siren species. As ethereal and innocent as their first appearance may seem these creatures harbor a large amount of darkness behind their harmless guise and can be highly dangerous and even deadly. Though some just a little mischievous and may simply harass travelers that are unlucky enough to draw their attention. Much like their Siren cousins, Pitchs sing songs that cause special effects but each individual Pitch's song does something different and some Pitchs even learn more than just one song. Some Pitch's songs being more malevolent in nature than others. Their songs aren't only for mischievous purposes however but it is also how they communicate to one another through their singing, whistles and other sounds with very few of them knowing much English. Which lends to them being referred to as "Pitchs", as in tones or a type of sound. So if you find yourself in the middle of the forest and you think you hear whispering, giggling or even distant singing in amongst the trees, you may just be in the presence of a Pitch. And depending on the Pitch, it may be harmless and simply curious as to what you are and what you're doing. Or this alluringly misleading creature's song just may be the last thing that you ever hear.

Extra info:

\- All Pitchs have an innate sense of curiosity and can be easily distracted by simple strange new objects, especially shiny things. However, Nirvos has lost this habit because of his discipline.

\- If you get close enough to notice, though it's probably not a good idea to get too close to these creatures, Pitchs have a mouthful of fanged teeth and razor like claws that they also can use for attacking. So watch out!

\- With their large ears Pitchs have exceptional hearing. But it can also be a disadvantage if there are any noises around that are too loud.


	2. The Seven Shield Princesses

Nirvos took a whiff of the dirty air that had plagued thanks to the smoke. The campfire was burning really strong as crackling could be heard. However, it was the only sound being produced as nighttime filled the eclipse.

The knight in black and gold armor hid behind the bushes along with his men as they observed the bandit fort, which was sealed tight thanks to an iron gate. While the area was not as big as it usually was, it took up a hefty amount of space. Boxes, crates and various types of equipment were scattered all over the place. Bandits loitered around while keeping guard to watch out for intruders.

If only they noticed a pair of glowing blue dots in the bushes.

Nirvos narrowed his eyes behind his visor, waiting for the opportune time to strike. His men were anxious and excited to begin the next move. Patience and timing were everything.

Soon, the rest of the bandits moved back within the fort, with only one watchman. The campfire was put out, leaving pure darkness. Nirvos lifted his hand and delivered the signal. One of his men lifted up his crossbow and delivered the shot. The watchman was hit by the bolt and fell forward off the fortress wall.

"Now find a weak point within the walls," Nirvos whispered as he and his men snuck towards the fortress walls. One of his soldiers had the courtesy of kicking the bandit's corpse, causing his comrade to roll his eyes.

"Sir, I found a hole," one of the soldiers hissed. Nirvos and the rest gathered around to see a sizeable cracked hole in the fortress.

"Good. One of you will have to sneak through and find a lever to open the gate," Nirvos said.

One soldier with lighter armor volunteered and began to crawl through the hole. Nirvos and his men waited outside the gate, preparing for their upcoming charge.

"Men, prepare your war cries," Nirvos stated.

"What for, sir?" One of his men had asked.

"A lion must instill fear before catching it's prey," he answered.

Soon, the gate was opened.

 **(My Bad Fellow from Dynasty Warriors 4 OST)**

"Charge!" Nirvos roared as he and his men rallied with their surprise attack. The yells of war had woken up the bandits in a fright. Before some of them tried to take up their arms, they were immediately slain by the Eostia troops. Others had succeeded grabbing their weapons and began to fight back.

Nirvos deflected a strike with his sword before blocking another with his shield. Using it as a side barrier, he swiftly delivered a thrust into the bandit's gut. Turning around, he saw another bandit about to swing his hammer at him. Nirvos ducked and slashed him deep in the shin. The bandit staggered before his head was cut off.

"Just where is the leader?" he muttered to himself before he looked up to see a man in heavy shoddy armor barking orders towards his men. His eyes narrowed as he made his way through the battle.

The bandit leader took notice at him and sneered as he prepped up his battleaxe. "So you're the little shit responsible for this?"

Nirvos twirled his sword. "I am here to stop your raids. Once and for all."

The leader growled. "Oh, a challenge then? I'd like to see you try, little man!"

With that, he swung his axe at him. Nirvos ducked and charged. However, the bandit gave a strong kick, which pushed Nirvos back. He followed with a downward strike. Nirvos jumped back and the axe landed in the ground. The knight gave him a shield uppercut that caused the bandit to stagger back. Before he could do anything, Nirvos was caught by the bandit's surprise swing to the head.

"Not bad, pipsqueak," the bandit leader muttered as he grabbed onto his axe. "But this ends now!"

"I agree," Nirvos muttered before sweeping his opponent off with a kick to his heels, making him trip over backwards. Taking this opportunity, Nirvos quickly got up and lodged the sword into the bandit's chest. Gurgling sounds were heard before they slowly died down.

 **(End OST)**

Nirvos got up and went back to the rest of his men, who were just finished dealing with the bandits.

"Good job, soldiers," he said. "I know you all can't wait to return to your families."

His men muttered in positives.

"That is why when we return, we shall drink to it!" The knight exclaimed.

His men roared their victory to the night sky as another job well done.

* * *

Nirvos and his soldiers marched through the night, as the steps could only be heard. While the men were anxious to get back to their homes, he ordered them to march at a passive pace.

One soldier walked up to Nirvos, who was on a horse. "Sir, permission to ask a question?"

Nirvos noticed him and nodded. "Permission granted."

"Why is it that you are eager to take action against bandits, pirates and barbarian outlaws?" the soldier asked.

"We are protectors of Eostia. It is natural to quell these raiders from harm," Nirvos answered.

"But our cities have strong defenses. Surely we would be able to stand a chance," another soldier piped up.

"Our cities are able to defend themselves, but our towns might not," Nirvos replied.

The soldiers blinked, hoping that their commander would elaborate.

"Our towns are the biggest source of income and supplies we have. If any of them were to fall into enemy hands, we would lose not only food, but morale as well."

They looked at him, taking their thoughts into consideration.

"Especially the farming villages. We need to protect those crops as well for food," Nirvos added.

"Oh..." the soldiers trailed off, finally understanding the reasons for quelling the outsiders.

"But why are we marching at a slow pace?" one soldier asked once more.

"It is better if we stick closely together. No man should be left behind," Nirvos answered.

The man nodded in understanding as he went back to his position.

"Besides, the environment here is beautiful. Just look," Nirvos implored to his left.

Everyone looked and saw the moonlight shining down from the sky. Everyone was mesmerized by the light.

"It's fine if you take in the moonlight, men. But please focus on marching. We wouldn't want any of you walking into trees," he said, a tone of mirth in his voice.

The soldiers blinked and laughed together as they continued on the trek. They knew that their strategic commander had a sense of humour, wishing that it was frequent.

* * *

Finally, they had arrived outside Ken. A guard walked up to them to give a salute.

"Sir Veuillet, you have returned!" He exclaimed in joy.

Nirvos nodded. "Indeed I have. Could you please kindly open the gate?"

The guard looked back to the gate. "You heard him! Open the gate!"

And so, the gate slowly opened up as Nirvos and his men proceeded to journey on back in. A few civilians looked outside of their windows to see the marching army on the way to the castle before cheering for them. This is turn woke up more civilians to see what the fuss is all about. When they saw the military, they joined in on the cheering.

The soldiers began waving to the crowd while Nirvos focused on riding back to the castle.

He needed to give a report.

* * *

Nirvos walked to the meeting room alone as he had dismissed his men from duty. The castle looked really beautiful, especially when it came to the interior. Finally, he had found the room he had been looking for. One indicator was that two guards were stationed outside.

"Gentlemen," he greeted.

"Sir Veuillet!" The two guards greeted with a bow.

"I assume her majesty is busy?" he asked.

"Yes. And with the other Shield Princesses in there as well," the guard informed.

"Very well. Could you please inform her that I have returned from the bandit subjugation once the meeting is concluded?" Nirvos requested.

They nodded. "Of course, sir!"

"Thank you," he said. "Oh, and what is for dinner?"

The guards smiled underneath their helmets. "Well for you, another plate of bread and fish."

Nirvos nodded. Just the way he liked it. "Carry on with your duties then."

With that, he strode back to his room. The guards watched him leave, continuing in conversing.

"He's a great commander and a strategic master. I don't understand why he's eating simple food," one of the guards said.

"Sir Veuillet's was raised in a farming village," the other answered. "It would make sense for him to be frugal about a lot of things. Especially when it comes to money."

"The only time he ever uses his money is to buy equipment and armor. And he only gives it to his unit!"

"There was that one time he funded a rebuilding for Geofu because of a previous siege. Especially since it came from his own pocket!"

"Seriously? How much is he being paid?"

"He's using his own reward money he got from completing the fight against the bandits and various enemy units from Olga's forces."

* * *

Nirvos's bedroom merely consisted of a plan single bed, a study desk with a candle, a wardrobe closet and a small bookcase. It was modest, to say the least.

Nirvos sat down and lifted up his visor, taking a bite from his bread. He wondered about the situation within Eostia. Despite Celestine's territorial advantage, Olga's forces were still resisting. Worse was the situation in Lucull. The viceroy's betrayal had set a dent in the land, causing more problems to arise. While time and resources were wasted, he needed to create another plan.

Suddenly, a knock on the door was heard. Quickly, he placed his visor back down. "Enter."

Opening the door was considerably the most beautiful woman he had ever seen before. Slightly taller than him, her beautiful platinum blonde locks that reached her ankles matched with her mesmerizing green eyes. She wore a white robe matched with a brown strap that hung from a circlet beneath her breasts, which covered her modesty. She wore two crowns on her head. The top looked like a wreath and the other around her forehead was crafted in gold. One characteristic she had were those pointy ears that were almost like a knife.

This was Celestine Lucross, the queen of Eostia and a high elf. Rumored to be a goddess reincarnated, she is worshipped by many of all Eostia. Especially in the churches.

"Your highness," Nirvos greeted as he kneeled before her.

"Please rise, Nirvos," Celestine said as he did so. "How did the subjugation go?"

"No casualties, Lady Lucross," Nirvos answered.

"Please, just call me by my given name," she insisted with a smile. "Especially when it's only the two of us."

"Of course, Celestine," Nirvos replied. He was reluctant to do so, but these were her orders.

"You've really been quite busy now these days," she said, a despondent tone laced in her voice. "Especially when you helped take back Lucull."

"More bandits are about to gather for an uprising," Nirvos said. "Even worse is that they are joining up with other clans to plan a rebellion. All because of that treasonous viceroy."

Celestine heard his tone, which sounded rather bitter and saw that his glowing blue eyes had narrowed. She had always wondered what he was, but now was not the time to think about that. She needed to calm him down.

"Do not worry too much," she assured him. "That viceroy has been dealt with already."

"Of course. But what of the situation in Lucull?" he asked.

"We are still looking for a good candidate to assign," she said. "I fear that the nobles would end up the same way."

"Power corrupts the mind, it seems," Nirvos muttered in disdain.

"That reminds me, I will need you to come to the meeting room by tomorrow," Celestine said. "There will be something important we need to discuss."

"Very well, Celestine," Nirvos nodded.

"The other Shield Princesses are anxious to meet you as well," Celestine stated. "You've been away sporadically that they weren't able to meet you in person."

"May I ask if this was your idea?" he asked.

Celestine smiled. "Well, it was both mine and Claudia's."

Nirvos blinked in confusion. "Claudia's?"

She nodded. "She agrees that you need to become more outgoing. Besides as my strategist, you need to set a good example."

Nirvos rolled his eyes. "Of course, then. I will be there tomorrow."

She smiled. "Excellent. I'll see you there."

With that, she walked to the door. "Oh, and sleep well."

After leaving, Nirvos sighed as he went back to eat. Despite her regal nature, he was surprised by her insistence for him to meet with the Shield Princesses. He didn't feel like he would be worthy to be in their presence considering that they had a higher standing than he ever had. He always wondered what they were like as individuals, barring Celestine and Claudia. Well, he was going to be in the same room as them.

Oh god, he was getting nervous. The thought of being in a room with several women made his heart beath heavily. He took deep breaths as he composed himself. He needed to be professional and calm. He was a strategist, a commander and a warrior!

* * *

The next day, the door had knocked as Nirvos wondered who it was. Walking up, he opened it and saw that it was Claudia Levantine.

She was a beautiful older woman looking like she was in between her thirties. Her light tan hair was tied into a bun and she had a beauty mark just underneath the corner of one of her azure blue eyes. She worse silver and gold armor that covered her arms, legs, part of her waist and her well-endowed breasts. Her mid-section showed off part of her cream-coloured skin while a small bikini-shaped cloth covered the lower section of her body. Claudia had a matching headpiece and a broadsword sheathed by the side.

Her beautiful features were marred by an annoyed expression.

"Lady Levantine, can I help you?" He asked, a curious expression underneath his visor.

She sighed. "First of all we are equals, so drop the formalities when we are alone. Secondly, what are you still doing here? We have to be at the meeting now."

"Meeting? Now?" His blue eyes widened at that.

"Yes, we've been expecting you. Let's go!" With that, Claudia dragged him by the arm.

"I didn't think it was a big deal since I thought that the Shield Princesses handle administrative affairs within the fortresses," he said.

"We also handle military affairs as well," she said in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Really?" Nirvos muttered. "I must've been away for too long."

"Of course you have," Claudia said. "Nirvos, you've already subjugated almost every single bandit camp. The only thing they can do is join forces, but that's impossible because of how scattered they are. Even if they try, they won't get past our gates."

"I know that, but we have to be careful," Nirvos said as he turned his head to look out at the courtyard, where the servants were tending the gardens while the soldiers. "As long as these bandits roam free, no village is safe."

"I know that," Claudia said, her voice and expression becoming softer. She gently turned his head to look at her. "It's because of the chaos that Olga's perpetuating that those bandits are running around. We need everyone's part to help end this. Especially your's."

He stared into her eyes before nodding. "You're right."

She smiled cheekily. "That's what my husband tells me all the time."

Nirvos rolled his eyes. With that, they continued walking to the meeting room.

"A quick question, if I may?" Nirvos asked.

"Hm?" Claudia looked at him.

"Why do both you and your Dawn Templars wear armor so...risqué?" He asked.

"Oh. Well, the armor is a blessing from Celestine herself as it allows us to become more efficient in combat," she answered nonchalantly.

"Huh," he muttered with a tilt to the head.

"I thought that you would've brought it up earlier when you first started as an officer under me," Claudia said, a small smirk on her face.

"It only crossed my mind when we fought together against the fleet," Nirvos replied.

"Saw something you like?" Claudia teased.

"Do you enjoy teasing me because of the fact that you're married?" Nirvos retorted.

She let out a giggle as he sighed. Back then, they were rather neutral with each other. Claudia fought under the army while Nirvos was under the private militia. However, camaraderie grew between them when they both realized that they shared the same goal.

When Nirvos served under Claudia's unit, he was both disciplined and obedient. However she noticed how jaded and dull his glowing eyes were. Eventually, she helped him gain back his fighting spirit as they both had built a huge bond of trust as fellow soldiers. She wondered how well he and her husband would get along.

If she had to choose a comrade-in-arms, Nirvos would be her first choice.

* * *

Finally, they had arrived at the meeting room with the guards at the front door.

"Lady Levantine, you're back with Sir Veuillet," the guard said as both of them scooted away from both the door and each other.

Claudia opened the doors as she entered. "I have returned with Nirvos," she declared as the strategist walked in to see Celestine with five other women he had never seen before. Celestine was smiling brightly while the other women have different expressions on their faces.

Celestine stood up and introduced him. "Everyone, this is my head strategist, Sir Nirvos Veuillet."

"Ladies," he bowed to them slightly. "It is an honor to finally meet you."

"Nirvos, I'd like you to meet the rest of the Shield Princesses," Celestine said. "This is Alicia Arcturus, the Princess Knight of Iris."

Alicia Arcturus was a young girl with pale blonde hair and sharp sapphire eyes. She wore blue and white dress armor with a couple of hair clips and a headband that matched her style. She held an aura of a tomboy and a presence of fierceness. Alicia had an annoyed expression on her tone.

"It's about time you got here, strategist," Alicia scowled. "Having to make us wait for you is a waste of time."

Nirvos blinked before he bowed to her. "I apologize for my tardiness."

Her expressions softened before she turned away. "At least you know your faults. If we are going to have meetings, don't let it happen again."

He nodded before looking at everyone else.

"Next to her is her cousin, Prim Fiorire," Celestine said next.

Prim Fiorire had long pink hair and blue eyes like her cousin's, though it was much more brighter's in both light and demeanor. She wore a gold tiara with red strings attached and a white and pink dress, akin to that of a princess. She was slightly younger than Alicia, but was old enough for marriage. She was very cute, especially with her bust larger than her cousin's.

"It's finally nice to see you, Sir Nirvos." Prim greeted as she stood up to give a curtsy. "I hope we can get along with each other."

"As do I, Lady Fiorire," Nirvos bowed to her cordially. Prim smiled as she sat back down.

"Next to Lady Prim is Shrine Maiden Kaguya," Celestine said.

Kaguya had probably the most exotic appearance of all the Shield Princesses, considering that she hails from the East. She wore a see-throughlike shawl over a red kimono top and a white fundoshi that contained numerous sigils and symbols that might function in protecting her chastity. Her shoulder-length black hair was decorated with purple ribbons that keep the hair on her side tide up and a head ornament that had resembled the sun.

Kaguya's garnet eyes observed him with a neutral expression as she stood up.

"Lady Kaguya, it is an honor to meet you," Nirvos bowed to her. Both their eyes met as garnet orbs stared at the glowing blue ones. It was as if they were trying to observe each other. After a staredown, Kaguya nodded at him with a small smile.

"Likewise, it's a pleasure to finally meet you," Kaguya replied as she sat back down.

Nirvos nodded as she turned to meet the next princess.

"On my right is Lady Maia, the Queen of the Mercenaries," Celestine introduced next.

Maia had rose red hair and wore a dark headband and choker on her neck. She wore an open red leotard jacket with white fur around the neck that exposed part of her breasts and showed just how fit her body was, though there were scars that had faded so long ago that they were easy to miss. She also wore purple leggings and black boots. The large belt over her waist contained twin short swords.

Maia's red eyes matched the fire in her spirit as she gave a grin.

"So you're the mysterious strategist that everyone's dying to see," Maia remarked as she took a good look at him. "I thought that you'd look like one of those bookworms that stuff themselves with books."

"I enjoy both literature and fighting, if that helps," Nirvos replied.

"Heh, that's fine. You're the strategist after all," she said with a smirk. "Maybe if you're not busy, we can see if you can hold your liquor."

"I look forward to that, Lady Maia," Nirvos accepted with a nod, despite not being fond of alcohol.

The Queen of the Mercenaries scoffed with a hand wave. "Just call me Maia. None of that 'lady' crap."

His eyes were widened slightly before he nodded. "Very well, Maia."

"And last but not least is Lou Lou, leader of the halflings," Celestine said.

Lou Lou looked like probably one of the youngest princesses of the alliance. She wore a large green cloak and hat with white socks that went up to her thighs under her brown boots. Despite that, she was probably the least clothed of them all. She had dog ears and a small tail that barely managed to stick out of her cloak.

Lou Lou smiled widely as she bounced out of her chair to greet Nirvos with a handshake. "It's great to meet another intellectual mind!"

He accepted the handshake, though she gave it roughly. "Another?" He asked, feeling his arm slightly sore.

"Yep! Despite what I look like, I'm actually a genius!" Lou Lou bragged. "Though, I like myself a good ol' fashioned beat down once in a while."

Nirvos rubbed his arm. "Well, then I look forward to working with you."

Lou Lou grinned widely as she skipped back to her seat.

Celestine smiled as she sat down. "Now that we are all here, let's discuss the current situation."

Claudia took the helm of this meeting. "Thanks to Nirvos's bandit subjugation, we can use our forces to our fullest. Our defenses are still going strong, yet their numbers are growing more by each invasion."

Kaguya analysed the map. "It seems that none of our fortresses can gain access to the Black Fortress."

"Damn it, we don't even know if our numbers are big enough to take 'em on," Maia grumbled.

"Oh, come on. We might be outnumbered, but not yet outgunned. We can still fight them!" Lou Lou rallied.

"Olga's forces have magic," Prim reminded. "It wouldn't be wise to simply charge in like that."

"Hey, strategist! Aren't you going to say anything?" Alicia barked.

Everyone turned to see Nirvos pondering something over the map.

"Is there something on your mind?" Celestine asked patiently.

After staring at the map, he looked at all of them.

"We can use the Kestat Plains to our advantage," Nirvos said as he pointed at the huge piece of land on the map. "It's a weak spot since Olga's forces are too busy with the offense, her fortress doesn't have any defence whatsoever."

"Nirvos, all our routes are cut off," Claudia reminded, wondering where he was going with this. "The easiest route we can go through is Bali's Hold, and that's guarded by Garokk the Death Knight and his lieutenants Grozz and Gromm."

"Garokk might be a strong warrior, but he lacks the tactical acumen to pull of a good strategy. The only one-note tactic he uses is charging through his enemies," Nirvos said. "As for Grozz and Gromm, they don't care enough for strategy since they blindly follow Garokk."

"But his forces are really strong," Prim said in worry.

"Strong in numbers, yes. Strong in the mind, that's a stretch," he remarked, causing Lou Lou and Maia to chuckle at that. Prim giggled, Claudia sighed, Alicia looked annoyed and Celestine smiled. Only Kaguya showed no reaction as she remained passive.

"Right now, Bali's Hold is very weak in defense and Garokk's soldiers can be easily plowed through," Nirvos continued. "Of course, we're gonna be on a time limit so we'll have to quickly defeat them as fast as possible or hope that reinforcements will come."

Maia places her legs on the table as she placed her arms on the back of her head. "We've got reinforcements covered. Don't worry about it."

"You have?" he questioned.

Celestine nodded. "Have you ever heard of the Black Dogs?"

The strategist nodded, though he hid a look of distaste under his helmet. The Black Dogs were a really famous mercenary group that fought strongly on the frontlines. The thought of fighting for profit made him annoyed, but he understood when it came to these dark times.

"I've heard of them," Nirvos answered.

"They'll be helping you with this battle once the negotiations have been settled," Celestine said. "I trust that your forces will be able to hold against them?"

"Of course. Let's hope that the deal reaches through," he said before looking at the map. "If we're going to launch a full-scale assault on Bali's Hold, then we're going to have to set up defenses outside Ur and Thorn as they are the closest to Olga's forces. They will serve as the rear. If we defeat them on time, then we'll be able to send the army in disarray."

"Garokk and his lieutenants are no laughing matter," Claudia said. "They themselves are strong."

"True, but they're also arrogant," Nirvos replied. "They'll never turn down from a duel."

Lou Lou smiled widely. "I'm liking this plan!"

He continued. "We'll have to march quickly since time is of the essence. Let's hope the Black Dogs will be able to assist us in time."

"Don't worry, Nir," Maia remarked with a cheeky smile. "I know the leader. He'll be there in no time."

 _'Nir?'_ he thought before shook his head. "Very well. Who will be participating this battle?"

Claudia looked at him. "I will. Leave the main camp to me."

Lou Lou stepped up. "I can't let you take all the glory. I'll be joining you in this fight."

Maia was next. "Someone's gotta keep the checkpoint open for reinforcements. Let me handle that."

Nirvos nodded. "Very well. Alicia and Kaguya will have to handle the defenses for their fortresses."

Alicia scoffed. "You don't need to tell me twice."

Kaguya merely nodded.

"That's all I can add," he concluded as he sat back down.

Celestine smiled as she took back the helm. "Now that we've heard of Nirvos's strategy, we shall discuss about the domestic situation of Eostia."

And so, Nirvos listened as the domestic affairs were discussed. He would throw in an opinion or two about farming or marketplaces, but that's about it from him since he was too focused on planning preparations.

* * *

Once the meeting had been concluded, everyone had left except Nirvos and Celestine. Just as the strategist was about to leave, he noticed his queen smiling.

"May I ask what you are happy about, Celestine?" he asked in curiosity.

She looked at him, her smile never leaving her face. "It great that you're finally working together with everyone else."

He nodded. "Yes. It actually feels good to work with the others."

She nodded and smiled. "I hope you will continue to do so?"

"If you wish for me to do so," Nirvos answered, unsure as to where this was going.

Then Celestine gave a serious expression. "Then by my command, you are required to attend the meetings of the Seven Shield Alliance."

"Very well, your highness." Nirvos bowed before he looked up. "But was that really necessary since that was a given?"

She let out a soft giggle. "I've always wanted to try and sound like an actual authorian."

She's the high queen of Eostia. Of course, she's an authorian! But he realized that she was being comfortable, very different from the strict regality she had to put up. She was still regal now, but it wasn't restrained as it usually was. Here, she seemed to be enjoying it.

Nirvos wondered if she was like this in front of the rest of the Shield Princesses.

"Well, you are a really good ruler and a person," he said. "There are times where I wonder when I should've joined years ago."

She smiled. "Well, I am glad that you finally decided to join us."

He nodded. "If you would excuse me, your highness. I have to get to the barracks to get my men ready."

Celestine nodded. "Of course."

With that, Nirvos left the meeting room. Celestine smiled as she remembered the first time she had met him. He had heard of his exploits in battle. She feared that he was a bloodthirsty man looking for glory. But when she found out that he fought to protect villages, she was eager to meet him. And lo and behold, she had found out that Nirvos was a strong yet kind man.

There was the fact that he wasn't human. Heck, she was wondering what he really was because of those glowing eyes. She felt a combination of light and darkness within him. However, it was only a curiosity since it was that fusion that made her drawn into his compassionate soul. Celestine looked outside. She needed to be at the throne room for court.

After all, if Nirvos was going to do his best, she will need to do her's as well for Eostia.

* * *

Nirvos was making his way towards the barracks, looking focused and ready for battle. There was going to be a fierce battle coming soon and he needed to be prepared.

 _'The Black Dogs,'_ he thought. Could these mercenaries be trusted? Sure, they had fought against Olga's forces as a might to be reckoned with. But they still fought for coin. Who is to say that they couldn't be swayed by the enemy?

Maia did seem to vouch for them. He wondered what her history with them was.

As he took in his surroundings, he had noticed someone familiar by the courtyard.

 _'Kaguya?'_ he thought. The shrine maiden was looking at the garden, which was beautiful and full of life.

Curiously, he walked slowly towards her as he tried to talk to her.

"The garden's quite beautiful, is it not Nirvos-dono?" Kaguya suddenly said, causing him to freeze in his tracks.

He wondered how she knew he was there. It didn't matter now since she had already acknowledged him. He might as well give a reply.

"It is," Nirvos answered as he approached her in a normal pace. "Lady Celestine's maids did an excellent job in tending them."

"I've always wanted to try gardening myself," the priestess remarked, though there was a despondent tone he could slightly hear. "It's unfortunate since I've always been busy with the affairs at Thorn."

"Once this war is over, maybe you can actually go back to gardening without any huge political worries," he said, hoping that it would raise her spirits.

"Maybe..." she replied distantly, though Nirvos didn't see the small smile on her face.

"I hear that Thorn has beautiful cherry blossom trees," he said. "I've never seen any like them before."

"There's an annual flower viewing where the leaves fall," she said. "Maybe if you are not busy subjugating bandits, you can come to Thorn and watch them."

"Maybe I will," Nirvos said as he looked at the garden. _'Someday when the chaos ends.'_

"Sometimes I do worry when Olga's forces will push back," Kaguya said, a small frown on her lips appearing. "If she takes all of Eostia, what would happen to all of the flora when it all decays because of the monsters that desecrate it?"

"As long as the gods are on our side, we will be victorious," Nirvos replied. He hoped that his answered cheered her up, especially considering that she's a shrine maiden.

Kaguya smiled softly at that. "Perhaps, you're right."

"I better go now. The battle calls for me soon," Nirvos said as he prepared to leave. "Pleasant travels to your return, Lady Kaguya."

Kaguya turned to him. "Good luck on your battle."

He nodded as he continued on his way as Kaguya watched him leave. She could feel both the light and darkness within him. Unlike Celestine, she was worried despite not showing it. She wondered which path Nirvos would take when it was ever time for him to choose. If he were to fall into darkness, she would bring him back to the light.

After all, there weren't enough good people for this sinful earth.

* * *

Nirvos had arrived at the barracks as he looked at his soldiers, performing military drills. His units wore mithril armor that made them look tough. The melee soldiers wore a full helm, platemail, kiteshield, gauntlets and platelegs. The ranged soldiers wore a half helm, chainmail, square shield, gloves and plateskirt. While both units obviously functioned differently, the only thing they had in common were the same pair of mithril boots. They looked serious as usual, but were they up to full discipline?

"Attention!"

Everyone stopped and looked at their commander before standing straight to face him.

"Sir!" They chorused.

The lieutenant in charge of the drills walked up to him. "Sir Veuillet," he said as he stood next to him.

He regarded his soldiers with a blank stare. He wondered how they will react to the news that they were going to rejoin the frontlines against Olga's forces. Well, time to give it a shot.

"We're heading to Bali's Hold," Nirvos announced.

There was a look of shock and wonder when he had said that. However, they seemed more eager and anticipated.

And glimmers of hope in their eyes.

"This might be the battle that will turn the tide against the enemy. For many years, the war between Celestine's forces and Olga's forces has been going on for too long. Now, we have a chance to stop this. I need you all to put your dedication and heart into this and we'll be able to achieve the time for peace," Nirvos said, his speech strong and loud. Concluding, his raised his fist up in the air. "Who is with me?!"

The entire barracks roared as they raised their fists in the air, prepared to fight against the enemy.

With that, everyone began to get ready for the march towards Bali's Hold. He watched everyone as his eyes narrowed in determination.

"Nice speech you have there."

Nirvos turned to see Lou Lou sitting on a crate with a grin on her face. She hopped off and walked up towards him.

"I've seen your brains, they must be above average than the normal human," Lou Lou remarked.

 _'Except I'm not human,'_ he thought. Oh, well. Might as well go along with it.

"Judging by your leadership, you might be brawn as well," she continued. "However, I've yet to see that. So don't disappoint me, Nir."

"Of course, Lady Lou Lou," he said, still bemused that he's being called 'Nir'.

"Great!" She exclaimed as she took a good look at his sword. "That's a really nice sword!"

As she said that, she heated up a battleaxe. "Too bad it just doesn't compare to this beauty right here!"

"Oh?" Nirvos questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"Yep! It's true!" The halfling boasted. "I've knocked plenty of heads off this thing and it's still a beast!"

"We know that size doesn't matter, right?" Nirvos asked.

"True," she replied as she twirled it. "It's all about how you use it."

"So you're saying that you are a better fighter than me?" He questioned, his tone neutral.

"Better than you? That's an understatement!" Luu-Luu boasted. "I've battled monsters bigger than you've ever seen in your life! You've only fought against bandits and pirates!"

"Don't forget that I fought barbarians and goblins as well," Nirvos added.

"The fact of the matter is that I've got a big experience against stronger fiends than you could ever imagine," Lou Lou concluded.

He stared at her before he chuckled behind his helmet.

Lou Lou glared. "And what's so funny?"

"I apologize, Lady Lou Lou," Nirvos said. "I know about the halflings, but to hear all that boasting from one feels very difficult to take serious."

Lou Lou puffed her cheeks in anger before walking up to him and kicking him in the shin.

"Ow!" He yelped as he hopped on one foot.

"Show some respect to your elders!" She barked and she turned away with a 'harrumph' and crossed her arms.

"My apologies," Nirvos said as the pain was gone. "How can I make it up to you?"

Lou Lou rubbed her chin in thought while having a devilish smile on her face.

"I'll forgive you if you pet me," Lou Lou offered.

"Very well then," he accepted without batting an eye.

The half long blinked in surprise as she did not expect him to accept it on the fly. Nonetheless, she took the opportunity and her hat off.

Nirvos gently placed his hand on her head and gently carressed it. Lou Lou sighed in relief as she took in the petting.

"Nnggh...that feels good," Lou Lou groaned as she smiled pleasantly into his hand.

"I'm glad that you like it, Lady Lou Lou," he replied. "But I believe that we should get ready for battle."

That broke out of her euphoria as she looked at him with a grin. "You're right! When we go out there on the battlefield, I'll show you that I'm not just all talk!"

He nodded. "I look forward to that."

With that, he walked off to get ready. Lou Lou could feel the anticipation and excitement of battle. She remembered the stories about his exploits against the pirates and the traitors from Lucull. To hear it from Claudia made her hyped about him, but to witness his prowess in battle made the fire inside her burn.

She was looking forward to this.

* * *

Nirvos was on his way to the training area. He needed to focus on his combat in order to stay sharp against the enemy. He didn't know how Garokk fought, but he needed to be prepared.

Walking up to a training dummy, he unsheated Moonlight Reaver and got into a stance. With intensity, he began to attack the dummy with slashes and strikes.

He had to visualise his opponent and imagine that it was his enemy in front of him instead of the dummy. His imaginary opponents consisted of every single monster he could ever think off. From orcs to ogres to trolls, he used that as the images for his enemies.

After delivering the final swing, Nirvos breathed deeply. So much physical energy had been unleashed as he sheathed back his sword.

"Not bad, strategist."

Nirvos turned around to find Alicia standing by the door with her arms crossed. She still had that stern expression on her face.

"You might be a good strategist and an impressive swordfighter, but don't get full of yourself because of your abilities," she said as she narrowed her eyes even further.

"Of course," Nirvos said as he stood straight. "As do you."

She looked confused at that. "What does that mean?"

"You are a good leader, but have you truly utilised the talents of your subordinates?" He questioned.

"O-of course I have!" Alicia exclaimed, looking rather offended. "I have led my soldiers to victory against countless of enemies!"

"That's good," Nirvos murmured. "Then have you reached even higher?"

"Huh?"

"War is also about taking risks. We've used many methods to fight against the enemy," he elaborated. "From the war reports, you've spent most of your battles defending instead of attacking."

"That's because the safety of the people is very important," she replied in a determined tone.

"True, but do the people feel safe?"

"W-what?" she muttered in bewilderment.

"If you keep on defending Ur instead of actually attacking the invaders back, how long will the people feel safe? They will eventually grow tired of the constant attacks and will question your leadership," he explained.

"What do you know? All you ever did was fight a bunch of thugs!" she exclaimed, feeling aggravated that she was being questioned.

"Yet those thugs were bandits that were causing harm to villages," he countered. "I reached out to fight them so that they won't threaten the people's lives. My point is that you need to expand your horizons and go to even greater depths to protecting your people."

"Grr..." Alicia growled. He did have a point but she was not going to back down like this. "Let's see if you can back those words up!"

"And how do you propose to that? We will be stationed in different areas," Nirvos asked.

Alicia smirked as she pointed at him. "I challenge you to a spar!"

"A spar?" He repeated, wondering where this was going.

"Actions speak louder than words. If your bite can back up your bark, I'll considered your words," Alicia explained, burning spirit still fanned within her.

Nirvos stared at her before he nodded. "Very well."

With that, he walked to a small door.

"Where are you going?" Alicia demanded, wondering if he was backing out.

He opened the door and took out a pair of wooden swords.

"We will be sparring with these," Nirvos stated, handing her a wooden sword.

"What is this? Are you mocking my skill in combat?!" Alicia exclaimed, looking offended.

"Of course not. We are sparring, are we not?" he asked. "If we were to use actual blades, the risk of one of us dying would be great. And we cannot have that."

"Tch," she scowled. "I knew that!"

Nirvos noted her attitude, but did not say anything about it. Instead, he nodded and took of his shield. Grabbing the wooden sword with both hands, he took his combat stance.

Alicia took a deep breath and gathered her combat stance. Slowly, they circled around each other as they waited to see who is the first to strike. Losing patience, Alicia lunged first.

Nirvos dodged before delivering a quick slash. Alicia blocked the attack before trying to attacked. They traded blows and sword strikes as both swordfighters tried to gain the upper hand on the other.

 _'Tch, this guy,'_ she thought as she tried harder to push back.

 _'She's good,'_ Nirvos thought as he narrowed his eyes with each block. _'But...'_

He delivered a sweep kick that tripped her over.

"Oof!" Alicia landed with a thud. "Hey, there's no honor in such trickery!"

"True, but if this was a real battle, your enemies would do whatever it takes to win," Nirvos as he went to strike her while she was down. "Especially when they resort to such cheap tactics."

Instinctively, she blocked every single hit as she tried getting back up before she executed a strong strike.

Alicia regained momentum as she fought on the offensive. Her fire burned even more as she unleashed her onslaught. Nirvos was impressed by her determination. However, he didn't plan on losing.

He parried a strike before delivering a spinning attack. It was very quick and sudden since she had no idea that he would do that. Everything seemed to freeze as the wooden sword was merely inches away from her neck.

Nirvos looked into her eyes. "Do you yield?"

Alicia looked at the wooden sword before glaring at her opponent. She could see his glowing orbs looking right back at her. She didn't care what he was, but he could see that his eyes were full of stoicism.

It had infuriated her and made her want to defeat him even more.

"I yield," Alicia conceded, shoulders slumped. This was a spar, yet it could still be applied to a real fight.

Nirvos nodded before he moved his sword away. "Like I said, broaden your horizons and use whatever means to win in a real battle."

She nodded begrudgingly before she put down the wooden sword.

"But I will say this, you are really good," he remarked.

She looked up at him.

"While your temper seems to get in the way, your sheer determination is admirable," he elaborated as he took the wooden swords.

"Hmph," Alicia looked away. "You don't have to tell me."

She began to leave. "This may be your victory, but I will defeat you in our next session."

With that, she had left. Nirvos had watched her departure as he stared down at the wooden swords. "Perhaps..."

Alicia kept storming her way towards her room. _'That strategist,'_ she thought bitterly. He was supposed to be a man behind the operation. How is it that he was able to partake in combat? Clearly she didn't know much about him. Right now, she needed to train harder.

And maybe, she could find out more about him.

* * *

Nirvos was preparing himself to walk around the streets in order to inspect the city. He needed to take precautions in order to protect Ken while he is away. He knew that Celestine could take care of herself, especially with Claudia by her side. But with how Olga's forces were closing up on them, drastic action needed to be taken.

"Sir Nirvos?"

He turned to see Prim standing behind him. She looked at him curiously as he was about to leave, wondering where he was going.

"Lady Fiorire," Nirvos greeted. "What can I do for you?"

"Please, call me by my given name. I was wondering where you are going off to now," she asked. "You seem like a busy person and I didn't want to interfere in what you're doing."

He shook his head. "There's no problem whatsoever. I'm actually going to inspect the city before departing for battle."

"I see," she muttered as she was in thought. This was her chance to get to know him. "Would you mind if I accompany you around the city?"

He looked at her with a head tilt. "I don't mind at all."

She smiled as she walked up beside him. "Shall we?"

Nirvos nodded. "Of course."

With that, he opened the keep doors and allowed Prim to pass through. She accepted and walked out gracefully. He followed after closing the doors behind him.

The city was a sight to behold. The town was prosperous, the market was busy and even the chatter was lively. While the war had made the citizens slightly weary, they still held onto the optimistic hope to get back the peace that once was.

Prim had always visited Ken due to the Shield Princess meetings, but she couldn't get over at how amazing the city really was with its' grand structures and design. Nirvos, however, didn't share the same as he resided in the city itself. While the princess was fascinated as a tourist, the knight was calculated as an inspector.

The princess looked at her companion with worry as she wondered if his duties had prevented him from enjoying such sights. She had never seen him at social gatherings and the only glimpse she could find of him was when he would be either at the barracks or marching off to fight more bandits. Maybe she could...

"Sir Nirvos, look over there!" Prim pointed out.

Nirvos looked where she was pointing. It was a bread stand. With an assortment of different kinds of loaves and flavors. Looking back at her, the princess seemed to be interested.

"Would you like to buy one?" He asked.

Prim blinked at that question before she looked down at her feet before giving a slow nod. Nirvos saw her answer and walked up to the bread stall.

"Excuse me, sir?" Nirvos called out.

"Ah, Sir Veuillet," The vendor noticed as he went to work with his customer. "What can I do for you?"

"I would like to buy one of these," the knight answered.

"Of course. Which one?"

Nirvos turned back to Prim and motioned for her to come to the stall.

"Lady Prim, which one would you like?" He asked.

"Hmm...," she hummed as she looked through the section of choices. There was a lot to pick from. After giving it some thought, she finally had decided.

"I would like that please," Prim pointed to the cinnamon rolls.

"How much is that, sir?" Nirvos asked the vendor.

Prim observed the exchange between the knight and the vendor. He seemed to know about bartering, but she wondered if he had any knowledge of political negotiations. Common folk and administrators were on two different levels.

"Thank you and have a nice day," the vendor said as the transaction was completed. Nirvos gave the cinnamon roll to Prim.

"Thank you so much, Sir Nirvos. But you didn't have to pay for me."

He shook his head. "It's no problem at all. Consider this a tourist gift."

Prim looked at it and smiled. A gift? Sure, she had gotten many gifts that were lavish and expensive. However, here was a knight that had given her the most cheapest of gifts any person could ever buy.

Yet, she felt more sentimental value from this cinnamon bun because of how Nirvos was rather frank about this. Despite not being able to see his emotions, she could see that he was trying to be genuine about it.

Shaking her head, Prim continued on her way with him. "Perhaps I should pay you back soon."

Nirvos shook his head. "No payment is necessary. Seeing you happy is all I need."

Money wasn't an issue with him? Of course. As a knight, he must have had spent most on his fortunes on that equipment. He must have had enough.

Yet, he wanted to see her happy? That made Prim rather flattered to say the least. The only other person who would want her to be happy was Alicia.

Looking at the bread, she took a deep breath and took a bite out of it. Slowly, she began to chew and take in the flavor.

"This is quite exquisite!" Prim exclaimed in joy. "I knew that food made by the common folk were hidden gems, but this is delicious!"

Nirvos nodded in agreement. "Commoners can do as much as nobility can. Such as baking."

"Baking, was it?" Prim pondered. Maybe she should give it a try sometime whenever she was free from her duties.

Looking between the slightly eaten cinnamon bun and Sir Nirvos, an idea popped up in her head.

"Sir Nirvos, would you like to share this with me?" she offered.

Nirvos stared down at the bun in front of him. "I'm afraid that I must decline, for this bread is for you."

She shook her head. "If this was for me, then I would like to share it with you then," she then gave the cutest of smiles. "Besides, isn't it much better to eat with someone?"

He blinked and looked at her before setting his sights on the delicacy. "Perhaps you are right. Very well."

Prim beamed at his answer and tore the bun in half. Nirvos took it and slightly lifted his visor to eat it. She wondered what he looked like underneath that helmet. Really, she could only make out a pair of glowing dots.

"This is really good," Nirvos commented.

Prim giggled. Despite his neutral tone, she could hear the twinge of elation in his voice. Human or not, she enjoyed his company because of who he is. It felt really strange. One moment she felt reserved, the next she was socialising with him.

The rest of the morning went on as they walked around the market, browsing through various items and shops while conversing about bread.

Soon, it was noon.

"Ah, it appears it is time for lunch. I need to return to Alicia so that I don't worry her," Prim said.

"Then, allow me to escort you back to the castle," Nirvos said.

"But your duty...," she trailed off.

"My duties can be held off temporarily. Your safety is a priority," he affirmed.

Something about that statement made her heart flutter. She didn't know why though since this feeling felt odd.

"Okay," Prim quietly decided.

He nodded as they continued to walk back to the castle gate. As they ventured back, there was a bit of distance between them. Nirvos has to give Prim space to make her comfortable. Unbeknownst to him, the princess had desired for the gap to close between them.

Finally, they made it to the gate.

"This is where we part ways," Nirvos said.

"Where are you going, Sir Nirvos?" Prim asked, confused and...saddened.

"I need to check one last place before I get back inside the castle," he answered.

"O-oh," she muttered before shaking her head. She needed to hold back these feelings.

"Do not fret. I will be returning for lunch," he said, thinking that she was concerned for his hunger.

Prim smiled once more. "Of course. Farewell, Sir Nirvos."

He nodded before walking off. Prim watched him leave before a voice called out from behind.

"Prim!"

Said girl turned around and saw Alicia running up to her with a worried expression.

"Where were you? I couldn't find you anywhere," Alicia said.

Prim smiled and giggled at her cousin's concern.

"It's a long story."

She was happy right now. Her time at the market with Sir Nirvos made her smile all the way back to the castle, making Alicia wonder what she was smiling for. Then, there was that feeling in her chest whenever she remembered him.

Whatever that feeling was, she wanted to keep holding onto it.

* * *

Nirvos made his way to the darkest part of Ken. While it was the capital of Eostia, it was by far no perfect city.

The inn was a place where travelers and adventurers gather to relax or celebrate. It also serves as a place where mercenaries or rogues lurk around for hire.

When he entered the building, all eyes turned to Nirvos as he darted his eyes around back and forth. They recognized who he was and not in a positive opinion.

Nirvos knew that he and mercenaries did not get along with each other because of his past as a leader of a militia army. They fought for profit while he fought for peace. He was a combat pragmatist, but he at least had a code of morality.

In response to the glares he received, he returned with narrowed eyes of his own before continuing his inspection. His glowing eyes darted from the bar to the tables. Just before he could leave...

"Nirvos!"

Said person turned to see the source of the voice. He recognized the owner, who was none other than the Queen of Mercenaries herself.

"Maia, I see that you're enjoying your beverage," Nirvos said as he walked up to her table, which was at a further corner. She must've wanted to drink in peace.

"Yep. Gotta get my fill before heading off to battle," she smirked as she took another gulp. As she set down her mug, she motioned him to come over. "C'mon, Nir! Have a drink! This one's on me!"

"I really shouldn't-," he was cut off by Maia's scoff.

"No excuses! I insist!" she exclaimed as she patted a chair beside her.

Nirvos sighed as he realized that she wouldn't take no for an answer. "Very well then."

With that, he sat down as Maia called out to the bartender. "Hey, barkeep! Get my friend here a drink!"

With a grumble, the bartender began to prepare the beverage as Nirvos looked at her.

"I thought consuming alcohol was right after the battle. When it's meant to be for celebrating," he remarked.

Maia gave a loud laugh. "Drinking doesn't have to mean anything! However, it's fun when you're drinking with someone."

He shrugged. "You are the expert."

Soon, the bartender arrived with the drink and laid it on the table.

"Bottoms up!" Maia raised her glass.

The strategist knight stared at the glass before lifting it. With hesitation due to the predicament he was in, he clinked her glass before both of them downed their drinks. Nirvos's visor was slightly lifted up to allow access.

"Whew! That was satisfying," she exclaimed once she was finished.

"That was quite...an experience," Nirvos muttered.

Maia smirked. "Well, when you meet with the rest of the Black Dogs, you're gonna be drinking all night!"

"Black Dogs?" Nirvos repeated. That got his attention. "What was your connection to the Black Dogs?"

She heard the tone in his voice. It wasn't accusatory, as it held on a more curious light. She smiled softly as she reminisced on the good days of her past.

"Well, if you wanna know," she said. "Me and their leader grew up in the same village. So we were practically childhood friends there. When we grew older, we formed a mercenary group known as the Black Dogs. I was his second in-command."

Nirvos tilted his head to inquire her to go on. He will have to reserve judgement for when she finished her tale.

"We took on a lot of jobs as we fought against Olga's dark forces," Maia continued as she adopted a frown. "As our reputation grew, so did the threats. Eventually, Celestine Lucross herself offered me to join the Shield Alliance. I was hesitant, but Volt convinced me to join them."

"Volt?"

"He's the leader I mentioned," she explained.

"Ah."

She sighed as she looked away. "It felt really strange. One day, I'm traveling all over Eostia as a mercenary. Next thing I know, I'm administrating Rad and being treated as royalty. Sometimes I wondered if I'm losing myself."

Nirvos didn't know how to answer as she concluded her tale. He needed to digest all this information. After a moment of silence, he finally spoke up.

"You and I are somewhat alike," he remarked softly.

She looked at him. "What do you mean?"

"We grew up in same backgrounds, but took different paths. You were a mercenary and I was a militia, yet we never fought as part of the royal army. Then Celestine went to us individually and offered to join her in fighting against the dark forces," Nirvos explained. "I think I can relate to how it feels when we're given a sudden leap in huge responsibilities."

"You didn't have to rule an entire city," Maia remarked.

"No, but I did control a huge army," Nirvos replied. "Which meant that I'm responsible for the lives of my soldiers as well as civilians."

She snorted as she raised her glass. "I'll give you that one."

"Anyway, we should head back," he said, switching the topic. "It's close to lunch and we should eat before we go out to battle."

She shrugged. "Sure. Just let me pay up."

He nodded and waited by the door. As soon as he saw Maia walking towards him, he opened the door as they left the inn.

"You know, I never knew how you drank through that helmet," she remarked. "How did you do it?"

He smirked under his helmet. "Trade secret."

She scoffed playfully. "Fine, keep your secrets. I'll get them out eventually."

"Challenge accepted," was all he said, causing the redhead to chuckle at the declaration.

As they walked back to the castle, Maia glanced at him from time to time. He was way different from Volt in a sense. From weapons to armor to physique to even personality, she could see the various differences. Maia thought that she wouldn't be able to get along with him because of how he seemed to be a bookworm.

She was surprised that he accepted that drink. He was no stickler like Claudia was. Plus, there was an underlying sense of snark to his tone whenever he made a nonchalant reply. While Volt was confrontational, Nirvos took things in stride. She wondered how he and Volt would interact with each other.

Hopefully they got along for the battle. And maybe after the war.

* * *

It was time for lunch as the Seven Shield Alliance gathered at the hall to eat. A huge spread was placed on the long table. It was simple yet enough for everyone to eat.

"Excuse me, your highness," Kaguya interjected. "Will Nirvos-dono be joining us for lunch?"

Everyone looked to Celestine for an answer. However, it was Claudia that answered for her. "Unfortunately, he won't since he's probably having his own lunch in his room."

"Doesn't it get lonely eating in his room by himself?" Prim mused.

Alicia scoffed. "If he wants to eat in his room, then let him. It makes lunch more pleasant for me."

"Awww," Lou Lou pouted. "I wanted to see what he looks like underneath that helmet."

"Pfft, good luck," Maia snorted. "He drank with his helmet on. What makes you think he wouldn't eat without his helmet?"

As they gave their opinions on the strategist knight, Celestine was the only one that didn't speak, who was focused more on the soup below her. She knew that he was reclusive because of his duties and planning, yet to be alone for lunch? There was also his choice of meal that the chefs always prepare. A loaf of bread, a plate of fish and a cup of water. It was rather plain, yet she wondered why he seemed so frugal despite the regal armor he wore.

"You know something? I always wondered what the guy looked like underneath that helmet," Maia's musings brought Celestine out of her thoughts.

"He's probably got this square mug on his face," Lou Lou snickered.

"Ugh, I can imagine a brute underneath all that armor," Alicia scowled.

"Alicia, he's probably a gentleman," Prim said."He must look rather hardened after all that fighting he's partaken in," Claudia said.

"He's probably a babyface," Maia remarked. "I mean, how can you explain hiding your identity to drink beer?"

Celestine noticed Kaguya remaining silent.

"Is there something on your mind, Kaguya?" she asked the priestess.

"His eyes," Kaguya muttered.

"Hm?" The high elf inquired.

"He might not be human," she guessed. "Any human with their eyes glowing could mean an evil presence is within them, yet I can sense the good in him."

Celestine smiled. However, what Kaguya's next words may worry her.

"But for just how long will he keep onto the path?"

The high elf wondered if she was implying that Nirvos would waver between the life of good and evil. Will he stay loyal to Eostia or will he join Olga Discordia?

* * *

Soon, it was time to depart. Soldiers were lined up in order as they marched out of the city of Ken. Nirvos was the first to head out, focusing on the mission to break through Bali's Hold. There were only several plans that were made since this was going to be an even battle. It was his conviction that he needed to bolster to fight through.

 _'This is the battle we need to win,'_ Nirvos thought. _'First, Bali's Hold. Then, Kestrat Plains. When we win the battle, Olga's forces won't be able to regroup since this piercing attack would immobilize and cause disarray within their ranks.'_

Right behind his unit was Lou Lou's halfling army. The halflings were similar to that of dwarves, but mostly comprised of females. It's been stated that there are no males as of now any record of it is regarded as myth due to the lack of evidence.

Lou Lou brandished her battleaxe, grinning excitedly at the prospect of battle.

 _'Heh, can't wait to see who gets to fall by my axe,'_ she thought excitedly, _'I wonder how well the strategist fights with all that armor.'_

Behind her was Maia's mercenary unit. They were as capable as infantry, yet they had as many weaknesses as they had with strengths. Maia stared off into the distance as she rode on her horse.

 _'It's been a long time since we last fought,'_ Maia mused. _'I wonder if he's as good as he was back then.'_

And finally leaving the city before it closed were the Dawn Templars. Despite being at the rear guard, Claudia was the commander of the battle. However, she couldn't help but watch Nirvos from afar under orders of her majesty.

 _'Nirvos, what did you do to alert her majesty so much as to have someone watch you?'_ Claudia pondered. _'I hope I can trust you enough to stay loyal.'_

So much anxiousness washed all over the army as they marched north. However, they knew that this would be the day they gain the advantage. And peace will finally be restored.

* * *

 **A/N: Whew! First chapter is completed! I'm wondering if I should add more crossovers of H-anime. However, it would have to fit the tone and setting similar to Kuroinu.**

 **So what are your thoughts? Any comments or feedback I can use to edit or improve the story? Leave in the review or PM.**


	3. The Battle of Kestrat

Bali's Hold was one of the many strong gateways that protects the cities from the monsters that lurk from the Kestrat Plains. With it's impenetrable walls and tall stable watchtowers, it was very capable of preventing any intruders from breaking through. However, every gateway has a weak point. Fortunately for this battle, this wasn't about laying siege to the gate, but drawing out the filthy weeds that have been allowing jurisdiction for Olga's forces.

The Seven Shield army had stood away in front of the front of Bali's Hold. The army looked alert and observant as they tried to look through any strange sightings of the enemy. Various demons stood by to watch guard as their enemy began to approach them. However, one man stood out among the demonic army.

He had ghastly white hair that did not have any regal silver, but haggard grey that made him look rather ghoulish. His skin was as ghastly as a ghost, but his armor looked intimidating. For starters, it was black, but not the same heroic kind that Nirvos wore. It was deathly and grim, thanks to the skull design. It was as if every part of him was staring into everyone's souls. He held this menacing grin that looked like he was about to enter the slaughterhouse.

And he would become Garokk the butcher.

What had captured Nirvos's attention was the greatsword that hoisted over his shoulder. It was as if grotesque flesh had covered most of the sword, with the steel sticking out of the edge. But what made his spine shiver was the eyeball on the sword. It moved, as if it was watching your every move.

Shaking his head, he went back to the main camp where the Claudia, Maia and Lou Lou were gathered.

"I saw Garokk," Nirvos stated as he entered the tent. "He knows we're here, but is waiting for us to strike the first move."

Claudia nodded as she took hold of her sword. "Alright, we'll prepare the march now."

He shook his head. "Keep the troops on standby. We need to dissect their defenses first."

The Captain of the Dawn Templars raised an eyebrow, wondering what his plan was. "And how do you propose we do that?"

Nirvos unfolds the map on the table as he uses a piece of charcoal. "While the main force acts a decoy to keep the enemy busy, the secondary force will lead a strike to the enemy from the west of Bali's Hold. That way, they can infiltrate the walls and dismantle their defenses from the inside."

He looked at the mercenary queen. "Maia, do you have a spy network we can use?"

The redhead grinned as she nodded. "I can get my mercs in an find the walls' weaknesses," Then she frowned contemplatively. "It won't be easy since we'll need time to find what's holding the gateway."

"Then I can loan you some of my troops," he suggested. "They will act as bodyguards for your task force to prevent any enemies from interrupting their mission. However, we need to dismantle the gate, not destroy it. Bali's Hold is too important to any asset."

"That's all I ask," she said, punching her palm.

Nirvos continued to look at the map. "The forest is a rural area that can be accessed around Bali's Hold in the southeast."

Lou Lou noticed it as well as she pointed at it. "I recognize that area! It's located between Rad and Ansur!"

He nodded. "We can use this route to allow access for reinforcements. All we need is a guard to prevent the enemy from discovering our routes."

The halfling smirked as she pointed at herself. "Don't sweat it! I got it covered since the forest is my domain."

He nodded as he went back to the map. "Now all we need to do is draw Garokk and his lieutenants out."

Claudia looked grim at that. "We need to be careful if we are to approach them. They're really strong fighters."

Lou Lou snorted as she hoisted her battleaxe over her shoulder. "They're not that strong."

"Don't underestimate them," Nirvos said. "There's a reason why Garokk is the defender of Bali's Hold. As for his lieutenants, Grozz is an executioner that masterfully wields the battleaxe like Luu-Luu. Gromm is a northern orc and we need to defeat him as soon as possible before the carnage can begin."

"A northern orc? What's the difference?" Maia questioned with a raised eyebrow. Orcs were just orcs, weren't they?

"The orcs of the north are faction that only care for the thrill of battle," Claudia answered, remembering some of the books she read from Klaus's study. "Be glad that they aren't southern orcs, who only care for past transgressions. The northerners may be incompetent, but they pride themselves in a fight."

 _'Thank Lucross there aren't southern orcs around,'_ Lou Lou thought in relief, as she remembered the one time she had beaten an orc in a game of chess by a _close call_. He took the loss in stride and no hard feelings, but she wasn't sure since southern orcs were very unpredictable with the semblance of intelligence they had.

"We can exploit Gromm's stupidity through trickery. As for Grozz, take every single opportunity and opening to strike the exposed parts of his body," Claudia instructed.

"What about that Garokk guy?" Maia asked as she folded her arms.

Claudia's eyes were shadowed by her hair while Nirvos's were narrowed.

"There's a reason why he's called the Butcher of Kestrat," Nirvos said.

Maia's eyes almost popped out when she heard that. She remembered how the Seven Shield's forces had lost to Olga's forces in the first battle of the Kestrat Plains. A demon roaming in the battlefield, that was what she heard the remnants mutter about. Garokk was the reason why they were on the defense.

Nirvos shook his head. "There's only one way to draw him out."

With that, he unsheathed his sword. "I'll have to challenge him to a duel."

"WHAT?!" Claudia exclaimed. "You can't possibly be serious! To fight a blood knight is suicide! We need to think through this rationally!"

"And I already have," the strategist knight replied. "With me as the decoy, I will stall the enemy while the secondary force begins dismantling their defenses. Once the task force sends the signal, the main force can begin the charge."

The commander tried to find a glaring hole in the plan before Nirvos could leave.

"Hey, Nir!"

The strategist knight looked to see Maia walking up to him with an unreadable expression. Both of them stared at each other. After a moment, Maia finally broke the silence.

"How about a bet?" she asked, her expression growing into a grin.

"A bet?" he repeated.

"Yep," she answered. "If you make it out alive, I'll fill you a cup of beer for you to drink."

"Oh?" Nirvos muttered. "And if I die?"

She smirked, though there was a worried glint in her eyes. "Well if you die, you die. And we can't have that now, right?"

He nodded. "You're right. I will survive the encounter. I will guarantee that."

"Well, I'm gonna see what you can do!" Lou Lou exclaimed as she headed to the entrance. "I gotta see if you really are strong as you say!"

"Sure, but make sure you check on the routes first," Nirvos reminded as he walked out of the tent.

"No problem! I can do that," the halfling assured as she skipped cheerfully, following Nirvos.

Claudia sighed as she looked down at the map. It's been a long time since she fought alongside Nirvos. This was not how she imagined the battle would go. Him rushing off to fight against one of the most dangerous men was a huge alarm to her since she had only seen him fought numerous enemies, but they were pirates, bandits or rogues. She also heard that he grew up fighting goblins, but they were goblins!

"You should really put your faith in him."

She looked up to see Maia crossing her arms.

"I do have faith in Nirvos," Claudia affirmed. "I should be out there fighting alongside him. Not cooped up here in the main camp."

Maia shurgged as she began to walk out of the main camp. "I don't know much about the chain of command," She opened the tent flap. "But I don't think he'll get mad at you for doing the right thing."

With that, she left. Claudia looked down at the map once more before schooling her features with a look of determination.

* * *

Nirvos rode his horse out to the gate, slowly galloping with caution as he shifted his eyes with alert. They were watching him. Both his own men and the enemy. All eyes were on him. However, his focus was more on Garokk.

The death knight merely grinned at him, probably thinking that he could add up another tally mark to his win streak. However, Nirvos felt something odd. It wasn't the bloodlust that Garokk omitted. It was the sword's aura. There was something unsettling about it, like there was something on the inside that was begging to scream out.

Nevertheless, he looked directly at Garokk and called him out. "Garokk the Kestrat Butcher! If you really are a strong opponent, come down and face me in a duel! Let us see if your epithet is as what the rumors say."

Garokk sneered and barked out a laugh. "I have fought many opponents that bragged about their prowess! In the end, they were all bark but no bite as I slain them with ease. What makes you so different?"

"I know that all you've been fighting are a couple of bums," Nirvos called back. "If you really wish to face a real opponent, then I will be your opponent."

The death knight looked offended when this upstart compared his skill to that of a common thug. However, they were all the same. "We shall see."

Turning around, he called out to one of his lieutenants. "Gromm! Deal with him immediately!"

 **(A Straight Fight from Romance of the Three Kingdoms X OST)**

Soon, the gate had slowly opened slightly as an orc rode out of the gate on what seems to be a raptor. He was hulking and brutish as they come, wearing little armor over his shoulder. He was holding a pair of twin axes.

"Ah, it's been a while since I had fresh meat!" Gromm exclaimed dramatically as he grinned at his opponent.

Nirvos wordlessly unsheathed his sword, pointing it at his opponent. Garokk raised an eyebrow at the blade.

"So this is the legendary Moonlight Reaver," he mused to himself. There were tales that those who held the Moonlight Reaver were considered to be one of the greatest swordsmen in the world. Garokk watched the fight, wondering if the stories were just a fluke or if it did live up to the title.

"Hah! What can that sword do?!" Gromm sneered. "My axes will carve you into mince meat!"

With that, the raptor charged at the horse, yelling out a war cry. Nirvos prepped up his shield as Gromm began to slam his axe down. Gromm was smashing right into the shield, hoping to coax out his opponent into fighting back. In an instant, Nirvos pushed his opponent back with his shield, forcing Gromm to stumble back a bit. Nirvos gave a quick stab, but Gromm parried with one of his axes. He used the other axe to slash down at him, but Nirvos blocked the attack with his shield.

Soon, they continued to clash blades as they tried to get the upperhand on each other. With the occasional shield block, Nirvos swung his sword on the axe on his right, hoping to disarm him for the advantage.

However, the raptor went to bite on the horse's neck, causing Nirvos to stumble back as his ride went frantic. In a twist of that distress however, the horse headbutted the raptor back. Both men fell off their steeds.

Nirvos tried to get up, but noticed his sword on the ground. Before he could grab it, he noticed an incoming axe headed towards him. With quick reflex, he blocked the projectile with his shield before he saw Gromm running towards him. They both went barreling over the ground before Nirvos lifted him over with his foot. With quick pace, he rolled to his sword and grabbed it.

"DIE!" Gromm roared out as he jumped towards Nirvos, his axe prepared to strike him down.

 **SCHLK!**

Gromm looked down to see the sword impaled through his abdomen, his axe just inches away from Nirvos's helmet. The crowd could see the other end of the sword sticking out from the back.

Nirvos pushed him away and off his sword with his foot. Gromm stumbled back as he felt the wound pouring out.

"I-Impossible...!" he sputtered out. "I-"

"Lost," the strategist knight interrupted before delivering a strong blow that beheaded the orc berserker.

Suddenly, Nirvos was knocked back to the ground as the raptor tried to devour him. Nirvos blocked him away with his shield, overwhelmed by the wild nature of the carnivorous animal.

A loud neigh echoed through out the battlefield as his horse kicked the raptor in the head, sending the wild beast careening down to the ground. The raptor quickly gets up and leaps right at the horse. Fortunately, Nirvos got back up in time and stabbed the beast's head with his sword, ending it once and for all.

Gromm and his beast were slain.

 **(End OST)**

Nirvos looked up at Garokk and pointed his sword at him. "I have defeated your dog! Will you come down and fight?"

Garokk had a maniacal grin on his face as he was about to grab his sword. He was formidable, that's for sure. However...

"Mangy cur! You have yet to face me!"

That voice belonged to Grozz, a human executioner. He wore the traditional knight armor, but his helmet resembled that of a bull, especially with the horns so evident.

"Garokk, allow me to put an end to this fool once and for all!" Grozz demanded valiantly.

Normally, Garokk would have him punished on the spot for such insolence. However, since he was asking to fight the knight, he might as well. Besides, what better way to test the wielder of Moonlight Reaver?

"Very well. Do as you please with him," Garokk said, allowing Grozz to fight Nirvos.

The executioner smirked as he went down. Soon, the gates were opened once more as Grozz rode out to the battlefield. Hoisted on his shoulder was a battleaxe, though this one was more known for beheadings thanks to it's shaped resembling that of a machete.

"No one is getting past Garokk without me," Grozz said. Just before the both of them could charge towards each other...

"Hold it!"

Both of them turned to see Lou Lou riding out into the field of battle. She had a grin on her face as she held her own battleaxe. Compared to the executioner's axe, this one was curved and looked more refined yet dangerous.

"I've seen what you can do. And you're not quite bad for a strategist," she said before looking at Grozz. "However, I'm gonna show this traitor how to properly use a battleaxe."

Grozz scoffed. "Get lost, brat. This is a duel between men."

The halfling scowled at the 'brat' comment. "Just for that, I'm gonna go all-out."

Nirvos nodded as he got up on his horse. "I trust that you can finish him quickly?"

"Are you doubting me?" Lou Lou questioned with a smirk.

He shook his head as he rode back to the camp. Grozz scowled.

"Coward! Running away just to have a girl fight your battles?!" he taunted.

"Oh, don't worry about him. What you need to do is worry about me!" Lou Lou exclaimed as her horse charged towards the enemy, battleaxe prepared to swing.

* * *

Nirvos stopped by the frontlines just to see Maia and Claudia waiting for him.

"I didn't fight Garokk," Nirvos said.

Claudia shook her head. "We know. I will admit, I misjudged you. I knew you were strong, but to fight one of his lieutenants is still quite a feat."

"The signal hasn't even been given. I need to go back out there," he said.

"Relax a bit," Maia said. "Lou Lou's got this one. She's a ball of energy."

"It's not Grozz I'm worried about. It's Garokk that's most concerning," Nirvos replied.

"Garokk? Why?" Claudia questioned.

"His sword," Nirvos answered. "There's something odd about it. I can feel the evil intent leaking out."

Maia looked at him. "What's the big deal? It's just a sword."

He looked at her. "It was covered in flesh and had an eyeball moving around. Tell me that isn't just a sword."

"Whatever it is, we can only hope that she manages to lure out Garokk," Claudia said before the argument could escalate even further.

Both of them nodded as they looked out at the battlefield.

"Hey, Nir," Maia began, causing him to look at her.

"Hm?"

"Remember about the bet?" she asked as she looked back at him.

He nodded in response.

"It's on the table in the tent," Maia said as she looked back at the battlefield where the duel was taking place.

He nodded as he went inside. Claudia looked at Maia.

"What?" the mercenary queen asked.

"When did you fill the cup?" Claudia questioned.

She shrugged. "Doesn't really matter, now does it?"

The captain of the Dawn Templars finally came to the realization. "You really have a lot of faith in him, don't you?"

"Well," Maia trailed off. "I wouldn't say faith since I've just met the guy. More like trust since he's got this conviction. And seeing him put down that green musclehead pretty much means I still stand by my point."

Claudia silently nodded in agreement as she could attest to that statement.

A moment later, Nirvos came back out and joined the observation of the duel. "Any word on the reinforcements?"

Maia smiled. "They'll be here soon."

* * *

 **(Pure Breeze from Soul Calibur III OST)**

"How are you able to overpower me?!" Grozz exclaimed as Lou Lou continued to push back with her battleaxe.

"You're a hundred years too young to defeat me!" she exclaimed as she parried with another slash.

Both blades clashed with each other. Lou Lou had the advantage since the beginning ever since the deadlock was broken. While Grozz had brute strength, Lou Lou had held a balance of power and technique.

She surprised Grozz by twirling her weapon before slashing Grozz torso.

"GAH!" the executioner cried out in pain as he clutched his blood-soaked chest. "You'll pay for that, damn animal!"

"Blah, blah," Lou Lou snarked as she got back into a battle stance. "Stop complaining and fight me like a real man, turncoat!"

Grozz roared in fury as he charged right at his adversary. Preparing their weapons, they swung as soon as they were near.

 **SWING!**

Lou Lou sat still as Grozz continued to ride away. Moments had passed before she had set her weapon on the ground, a grin on her face.

"That was too easy," she stated.

Grozz fell off his horse as his head fell off. An ironic death for an executioner, yet the halfling knew that such a traitor deserves as such.

 **(End OST)**

She looked up at the demons and grinned. "Seriously, is there anyone that can provide me with a decent challenge?!"

Garokk took a step and looked down at the halfling, his bloodthirsty grin never leaving his face.

"You've got fight in you," he said as his demonic sword was in his hand. "I like that. Maybe your axe would serve as a fine trophy."

"You want my baby? Come and get it!" With a huge amount of strength, she tossed her battleaxe at him, which twirled around like a hovering razorblade.

For his part, Garokk deflected the the projectile with ease as it merely bounced off his sword.

"Such spunk. You'll be a worthy prey," Garokk remarked as he jumped from the top of the walls to deliver a strike.

 **CLANG!**

 **(Wolfpack by Pierre Gerwig Langer (Warlords: Heroes Loop))**

Lou Lou blocked the attack, but the strength was so overwhelming that it knocked her off her horse. She got up to see Garokk walking slowly towards her.

"Oh, I'm going to enjoy this," Garokk muttered, licking his lips like he found a delicious meal. Lou Lou shivered slightly, but stood up and took her battle stance.

"HYAAH!" She yelled as she charged right at Garokk.

The clash began as these two fought each other within a deadlock. Both of the had swung their blades at each other equally. Sparks from the collisions flew, but it undaunted their wielders as they were too focused on the battle.

After the recoil, Lou Lou twirled her battleaxe. However, Garokk countered those attacks with his downward cycle swings. Within the deadlock once again, both of their faces were close to each other.

"I've always wondered the taste of halfling blood," Garokk said, his maniacal grin showing through full force.

Lou Lou, freaked out by his statement, slashed upwards with her battleaxe in an attempt to push him back.

Garokk hoisted his sword on his shoulder. "Touched a nerve there, didn't I?"

"Shut up!" she yelled angrily. Within impulse, she charged right at him.

Garokk anticipated the attack as he delivered a downward diagonal slash that clashed with her blade. The strength he put into had knocked her back on the ground.

"An interesting opponent," Garokk said. "But not the one I seek."

Lou Lou growled as she gripped her battleaxe. "Don't look down on me!"

She delivered a swing to the leg, which Garokk blocked. With that, she delivered a flurry of slashes. Garokk had swiftly deflected each and every single one of them. However, it became a whirpool of strikes that no ordinary battleaxe wielder could perfect. The death knight could only block so little.

 _'Good, he'll be overwhelmed and I can strike!'_ Lou Lou thought, confident that the battle is won.

Suddenly, a red flash in Garokk's eye twinkled. The halfling noticed, causing her eyes to go wide. However before she could do anything, Garokk slashed downwards, the blow strong enough to emphasize the gale she could feel thanks to the sword's movement.

 _'Ugh, how?!'_ She thought frantically as she looked up to see Garokk walking towards her, sword lifted up. She needed to go on, but how can she when she's used up most of her strength?

"You put up quite a fight," Garokk said before he prepared to strike. "But in the end, you're merely prey."

Was this it? Was she going to meet a gruesome death? She looked at the sword he held. It stared back and blinked at her. Lou Lou closed her eyes and braced for impact. She never got to show how strong she was to Nirvos.

 **CLANG!**

The halfling awaited the blow, but none came. She peeked opened one of her eyes, only to see a figure facing his back to her. He wore black and gold armor...

"Nirvos!" she called out.

Indeed, his shield had blocked Garokk's finishing blow, who was trying to force his sword down.

"Rest easy, Lady Lou Lou," Nirvos said, before he smashed the butt of the handle of his sword into Garokk's head that caused him to stumble back. "I'll take over this one."

With that, he delivered a shield uppercut that almost made Garokk tumble down. Garokk stood his ground, yet he spat out blood. Nirvos delivered a downward slash, though Garokk had kept enough reflex to block the attack with his sword. The death knight kicked him away as he recovered his footing.

"Heh. I had that, you know?" The halfling muttered as she picked herself up with her battleaxe.

"You're fatigued," Nirvos retorted. "Besides, this isn't a duel anymore."

 _'It was going to be a death sentence,'_ he thought with a grimace as he got into a battle stance.

"Ah, the orc slayer," Garokk mused as he twirled his greatsword with one hand. "You look like a formidable opponent."

With that, he pointed his sword towards him. "Hopefully you won't disappoint me."

Nirvos stood still, shield right in front of him as his gripped his sword tightly. Garokk smirked as he charged right at him. In an instant, the greatsword slamming into the shield made Nirvos crouch. The strategist knight made a quick slice to his legs, but it was blocked when Garokk flicked his sword downward. Nirvos took this opportunity to slam his shield into the death knight.

Soon, they continued to clash blades as the sparks grew even more. Nirvos would occasionally defend with his shield, blocking any crucial attacks that the demonic sword had impacted.

"Quite the shield, you have there?" Garokk mused. "How about discarding what's holding you back and fight me to your fullest?"

Nirvos ignored and charged on. Garokk scowled as his goading was ineffective. With that, he began to deliver a series of stabs that look like he was going to crush his opponent.

However, Nirvos anticipated this attack and delivered a series of strikes that completely overwhelmed him. Garokk had no choice but to block, but due to the late timing, he could feel minor wounds on his body.

Garokk's eye flashed red once more. And before Nirvos knew it, the death knight's hand grabbed onto his helmet and slammed him to the ground!

"Nirvos!" Lou Lou yelled, struggling to get up.

"Do you think I'd lose to you?" Garokk sneered. "There is no chivalry or honor on the battlefield. Only the desire to survive and win! Only the weak perish."

Soon, he lifted his sword up. "And you too, shall perish as well."

"That's enough out of you!"

Hearing the source of the voice, Garokk quickly turned around and blocked the incoming attack! A pair of swords clashed into his weapon as he looked up to see that the wielder was a redhead.

Maia's foot landed on his sword before she kicked him away to push him for her to backflip. She landed gracefully as she twirled her swords.

"You alright, egghead?" Maia asked, not turning her eyes away from the enemy.

"First Nir, now egghead?" Nirvos muttered as he tried to recover. "Will you ever start calling me by my full name?"

"Fat chance," she snorted with a grin before narrowing her eyes at Garokk, who hoisted his sword over his shoulder.

"Three on one? That sounds a bit unfair, don't you think?" he questioned before going into a battle stance. "Not that it matters since it's still isn't enough to beat me."

"Wanna bet?" Maia tempted before she rushed at him, delivering a fast flurry of slashes. Garokk was overwhelmed due to the mercenary queen's speed and agility, trying to keep up with the attacks. It wasn't until a roundhouse kick to the head had sent Garokk flying back.

"Grrr, you damned harlot!" Garokk scowled as he got up.

"This harlot's kicking your ass," Maia replied, grinning cheekily as she got into a battle stance.

With a roar, Garokk charged and delivered his series of attacks. Unfortunately for him, Maia had dodged every single one of them. Frustrated, he delivered a downward slash. Maia jumped back, avoiding the hit.

"Is that all?" she mused. "Let me show you what a real attack is!"

With that, she charged once more. She was about to use a strike that made Garokk prepare to block. However, that was actually a feint as Maia used her other sword to sweep him over.

"Oof!" he grunted as he landed on the ground as a huge cut near his ankle appeared.

"Give up?" Maia asked as she pointed at him with one of her swords. Instead of getting mad, Garokk grinned sadistically.

"Oh, I'm just getting started," he answered. One of his eyes flashed once more. Nirvos noticed this and shouted out to her.

"Maia!"

In an instant, Garokk's sword parried away from Maia's blade before using his elbow to slam against her head!

"GAH!" Maia cried out as she was sent sprawled to the floor. However, she was kneeling to get up.

"Where's that fighting spirit now?" he taunted as he delivered an onslaught of attacks. Maia was quick to blocked each attack, though this left her on even ground with him.

 _'This isn't good. There's no opening!'_ Maia thought as she grit her teeth.

"I think it's about time that we finish this," Garokk said as he was about to deliver a powerful strike.

"Agreed!"

Garokk turned to see Nirvos deliver a strike, which caused the death knight to block. However, Lou Lou's axe had slammed into the side of his head! Garokk was sent sprawled to the floor.

He looked up with an enraged look. "You're becoming a thorn on my side."

All three fighters stood in their battle stances as they prepared to fight back against Garokk. Before anyone could made the next move, the gate of Bali's Hold had opened. Garokk and the demons looked surprised, before a voice yelled out.

"CHARGE!"

 **(End OST)**

The voice of Claudia Levantine made the three smile as the Seven Shield army charged their way to Bali's Hold. It seemed that the signal was given. Garokk's eyes widened in shock as Bali's Hold was open!

"Hurry and close the gate!" He yelled to the demons.

"It's no use, commander! Someone's sabotaged the defenses!" an imp shouted in frantic panic.

Garokk looked at the trio and growled. "You did this!"

"Hmph, you fell for it," Lou Lou taunted.

Garokk scowled as he backed away. "Now I'm really angry! I'll remember this!"

With that, he retreated. The trio dropped their battle stances.

"Your plan worked," Maia muttered as she took a deep breath.

"Right now, I'd reckon he'll be regrouping his forces right at the Kestrat Plains," Lou Lou said as she hoisted her battleaxe over her shoulder.

"Their morale may have dwindled, but the numbers are still large," Nirvos mused as he sheathed his sword.

"Then we keep up the attack," Claudia said as she approached them on her horse. "Keep a balance between offense and defense until the reinforcements arrive."

"I'll head for the route to make sure Volt and the Black Dogs arrive," Maia volunteered as she walked off.

"Hey, Nirvos?" Lou Lou called out. "Wanna have a competition to see who can rack up the most kills?"

"Lou Lou, war is not a competition," Claudia lectured sternly like a mother would.

The halfling pouted. "Hey, it's at least motivating enough to win against them."

"Nevertheless, we should join our troops in battle," Nirvos said. Both of them nodded as they all walked through Bali's Hold into the Kestrat Plains.

* * *

 **(Battle (Tug of War) from Romance of the Three Kingdoms X OST)**

The battle was evenly matched as the Seven Shield army, despite their small numbers, still managed to push back against the enemy. The Dawn Templars were strong on the offensive while Nirvos's unnamed unit took on the defensive line. Maia's mercenaries managed to flank the enemy as support from the sides. The halflings fought in an unpredictable pattern that allows them to aid the other units with their volley of arrows.

Needless to say, the demons were trying to do whatever they can to defeat the invaders. Keyword 'try'. They were getting slaughtered.

Nirvos had cut off an imp's head before slicing downwards on an orc. He looked around to observe the raging battle. The demons were brutal as they pretty much rip and tear into anyone they see. However, the Seven Shield soldiers delivered tore through the flesh with metal.

Claudia fought with elegance and grace, spinning and slicing every single enemy that approached her. Her skills as a swordswoman were absolutely stunning as she completely decimated them.

Contrast to Claudia, Lou Lou had simply brutalized them. The axe looked like it was never going to dull as it was caked in blood and gore. Swing by swing, enemies fell as fast as her attacks.

Nirvos had noticed something. Weren't there more monsters than before?

His eyes widened. The attacks on the other fortress must have been called off and they were given new orders! But that was impossible! This attack should have made the enemy in disarray!

Unless...

Olga Discordia knew.

"Everyone! Hold the position!" Nirvos ordered as he slashed right into a ghoul.

"What's wrong, Nirvos?" Claudia asked as she cut through a peon.

"Olga knows about the plan. Enemy reinforcements are approaching!" Nirvos answered as he stabbed right through a demon.

"What?!" Claudia exclaimed in dismay as she struck a goblin. "We have to withdraw!"

"We can still salvage this battle!" Nirvos assured as he kicked away the dead demon off his sword. "Keep holding the line until reinforcements arrive!"

"I like this plan!" Lou Lou agreed as she decapitated more demons. She enjoyed battle too much to retreat.

"Of course you would," Claudia muttered before speaking to Nirvos. "I hope you know what you're doing."

The strategist knight nodded as he fought through the swarms of demons. However as the battle went on, he began to feel fatigued as there was too much action done.

 _'I'm losing stamina just by fighting them,'_ Nirvos thought. _'I need more time.'_

His prayers were answered when he heard horses galloping from afar. Looking around, he saw an army marching towards the battlefield. However, there was one banner he recognized.

The Black Dogs.

The new allies had plowed right through the demons, charging through in a stampede. While some orcs did crush the horsemen, they were eventually killed by the soldiers on foot.

From what he saw, the Black Dogs looked like a ragtag bunch. Nirvos wondered how Maia of all people had been affiliated with them before. It must be be a long history, so he had no right to judge. He, too, was also part of a ragtag bunch. However, there was one individual that caught his attention.

That man wore a combination of leather and metal, strong enough to withstand punishment. He had a heroic muscular build that showed his strength and hardened features that showed his experience as a veteran on the battlefield. Especially with the scar over his left eye. His red armor had the Black Dog crest with a sword. And speaking of swords, he wielded a black greatsword that looked really heavy.

He was hacking through enemies piece by piece, like it was a fight for survival. It was as brutal and powerful as Lou Lou's fighting style. While the halfling fought on instinct, this man's style was somewhat more arrogant and had flair to it.

However, he seemed to have experience in slaying these beasts thanks to the carnage he was leaving behind. Lou Lou, not wanting to be outdone, had been energized with motivation as she continued to hack away against the enemy. Nirvos could see Maia slashing through the demons with her twin swords while Claudia's blade dance had executed the enemies through the carnage.

Realizing everyone is doing their part, all signs of fatigue had disappeared as Nirvos charged through the horde once more to contribute to the fighting. Noticing arrows raining down upon him, he had quickly shielded them. He had cut the stuck arrows with his sword before slicing an orc's throat. Quickly, he stabbed right through an incoming imp. Noticing an orc about to strike him, he blocked the attack and stabbed his opponent in the heart. He saw an imp charging towards him with a spear. With a spin, the unfortunate imp ran into the blade and got his head chopped off.

An orc roared as it charged with his axe. The impact landed right on his shield, but Nirvos pushed him away before stabbing him. Grabbing the imp's spear, he tossed it at an orc and it impaled right through the heart.

Seeing an oncoming enemy, he smashed the orc right in the face with his shield. Another enemy delivered an attack, but with a quick block, Nirvos slashed right through the demon's chest. He quickly decapitated a charging imp and spun around to slice off an orc's torso.

Seeing an imp approach him carefully, Nirvos wasted no time sweeping it off the feet and slashing him down. Two imps charged after him. Nirvos blocked on one side and slashed on the other. Turning around, he bashed the surviving imp with his shield.

Walking towards the fallen imp, it showed a face of fear.

"No! Please! Spare me-GHAAK!" it cried out as Nirvos finished it with a stab to the gut.

Nirvos looked out to see the remaining demons backing away. They saw a machine that was about to dig it's blade into their bodies. He slowly approached them before he charged right at them.

The last thing they saw was a pair of glowing blue eyes, glaring right into their souls.

 **(End OST)**

* * *

The Battle of Kestrat Plains had ended in a decisive victory as the remnants of Olga's forces had withdrawn back to the Black Fortress. Everyone celebrated back at the main camp, as they were close to victory.

Nirvos kept a watchful eye on every single interaction all the units had. Everyone was celebrating with drinks, especially when the barrels were involved. Lou Lou was arm wrestling one of the Black Dog mercenaries. However, he noticed that some of the Black Dogs were giving some leering glances and looks at the Dawn Templars, who looked rather uncomfortable.

He sighed as there was no physical altercation. But if anything happens, then he'd have to step in.

"Nir! There's someone I want you to meet!"

He turned to see Maia approaching him. Beside her was the man with the scar. He had a grin on his face.

"The name's Volt," he introduced himself, offering a handshake. "Saw what you did out there. I gotta say, that takes a lot of guts to plow through the enemy like that."

Nirvos looked down at Volt's hand before accepting the handshake. "I'm Nirvos. And it's a warrior's duty to fight against all odds."

Volt grinned. "Hmph, thinking like that makes me wonder if you're Black Dog material."

"Sorry, Volt! But he's with me!" Maia hung her arm over Nirvos's shoulder with a cheeky grin. "Wonder boy here is Celestine's strategist."

"A thinker, huh?" Volt mused. "You might get along with Kin."

"He's the Black Dogs' mage," Maia explained to Nirvos.

"And the best there is," Volt boasted.

"My, my. You flatter me."

The newcomer had a tunic underneath a purple cloak, well-kept brown hair and spectacles that shielded his calculating eyes.

"Don't get ahead of yourself, brainiac."

Next to him was a lanky guy. He looked somewhat of a mix of a thief and a pirate. His brown hair was slicked back, a hint that he might guess that he was some sort of casanova. But with such a shady appearance, it was more akin to that of a lothario.

"Name's Hicks, by the way," the lothario introduced himself. "This dork here is Kin."

"A pleasure to meet your acquaintance," the well-dress man known as Kin greeted cordially.

Nirvos nodded to them. "Likewise, it's nice to meet you two."

"Anyway, how about some drinks?" Volt offered.

Nirvos looked at Maia, who smiled.

"Alright."

"You and I are gonna get along!" the leader exclaimed proudly as he dragged him to the bar, Hicks and Kin following him.

Maia smiled at the interaction. Nirvos was getting along fine with Volt. Sure, he was a quiet guy. But the poor fella didn't deserve to be lonely. Maybe once this war was all over, she could finally give the confession to Volt after all these years.

Unbeknownst to her, Nirvos had an uneasy feeling. Volt was charismatic, bold and boisterous. That was qualities of a true hero. However, he was a mercenary. And a powerful one at that. Not just in a fight, but also politically. The Black Dogs were one of the most famous mercenary groups that were hailed as Eostia's last hope.

Normally, he would trust any capable ally. However, Nirvos had a hunch. A hunch that made him uneasy.

* * *

 **A/N: Chapter 2 is complete! Now, someone had suggested Princess Knight Catue. It's quite similar in tone and setting. So, it's a good suggestion. There's also Elf Mura no Kanraku. And it's part of the Kuroinu universe. However, I need more information on the story and the characters themselves so that I can work with something. Are there any more crossovers? Should I include the crossovers during the Kuroinu arc or the next arc?**

 **For the length of the chapters, they will vary due to the circumstances. Sometimes a battle might be either long or short. Others is for the sake of character development, but I need to watch for the momentum of my motivation.**

 **Leave a comment or suggestion in the review or PM!**


	4. The Siege of Black Fortress

The march back to Ken was long yet loud, as everyone was still in the party mood. Nirvos was the only one focused, as his priority home was important. He needed to report back to Celestine before making the next move on Olga.

Nirvos noticed Claudia moving next to him.

"The soldiers' spirits are high," Claudia commented. "Are you sure you don't wish to celebrate with them?"

"The battle is won, but the war isn't over yet," Nirvos answered, his tone trying to be light and feathery as humor. "We will draw up as many plans as we can on the siege of the Black Fortress."

The Dawn Templars captain sighed as she looked forward as well. "You should share your happiness with everyone else."

"I'll be happy once the war is finally over," Nirvos answered wistfully.

Claudia gave him a forlorn glance. She knew what had happened that made him this way. If her unit had been killed like that, she would've been devastated.

Suddenly, Volt rode his horse alongside them. "So what's going on here at the front? Looks like you're discussing strategy!"

Nirvos shook his head. "Oh, it's nothing worth talking about. I'm just musing how glad I am for the war to be over."

The mercenary leader smirked. "I hear you. Soon, we can relax and have a huge party once this is all over."

The strategist knight nodded, though he noticed some sort of gleam in Volt's eye. There it was again. He knew that there was something that Volt was hiding, but what was it? He needed to confide his trust into someone about his suspicions.

Maia was out of the question, thanks to her affiliation and undying loyalty. Luu-Luu was smart and strategic, yet she seemed to be quite loud and boisterous as well. Alicia was impulsive to a fault. Prim could've been a good choice, but she ruled her out because she of how she was regularly seen with Alicia. Claudia would also be a good choice as well, yet her methods would differ from his since she pragmatism was something she frowned at.

That left Celestine and Kaguya as the options. Both of them had been known to keep their cool. The high elf was very patient and understanding, so she could see his view about it while the high priestess was an enigma that had a stoic facade yet was cordial at the same time. If anyone could keep secrets, it was those two. Celestine had a long history, so she must not be a stranger to secrets. Kaguya had an excellent poker face that can hide any facial expression.

Nirvos looked up to see the walls of Ken.

 **XXX**

Nirvos was busy in his room, writing a message on his parchment. Once they had arrived to the city, Volt had been called to meet with Celestine. Nirvos wondered what the conversation was about. Shaking his head, he focused on writing his letter to Kaguya.

Suddenly, he heard a knock on the door. Looking down at the letter, Nirvos realized that he was almost done.

"Just a moment," Nirvos said as he made the final writings before rolling up the parchment, hiding it in one of his drawers. "You can enter now."

The door opened to reveal Celestine herself. The ruler of Eostia looked as beautiful and graceful as every other day.

"Your majesty," he gave a slight bow.

"At ease, Nirvos," she said, smiling towards him. "I wish to speak to you about something."

He nodded as Celestine closed the door behind her. The silence was rather awkward, as they looked elsewhere but themselves. Nirvos was looking around his room while Celestine was staring down at the floor. After a moment, Nirvos broke it.

"The attack was a success," Nirvos said as he began to look at her.

"Ah, Claudia briefed me on that," she replied, as her eyes darted back in return. "Soon, we will be close to ending the war."

He nodded. Once the Black Fortress is seized, peace will flourish throughout the land.

"Nirvos."

He broke out of his thoughts once Celestine acknowledged him.

"What does strength mean to you?" she asked as she looked into his glowing eyes, the expression on her face was as neutral as it could be.

He looked at her, a slightly startled expression behind his helmet. That was quite a random question to ask him, but nonetheless he gave his answer.

"Strength is the ability to make that which you believe in a reality," Nirvos replied.

"And what do you believe in?" she asked once more.

"A land of peace and tranquility in Eostia," he gave his answer once more. "Where did all this come from?"

Another moment of silence before she smiled. However, it was a rather sad smile.

"I asked Volt the same question," she replied.

"What was his answer?" he asked.

Celestine's face turned to a soft frown.

"He said that strength was used to fight, win and take everything."

It was quite simple minded. However, when he looked into that answer, Nirvos saw the bigger picture and realized just what kind of man Volt was. He was a charismatic war hero, but even war heroes have ambitions.

"I don't trust him," Nirvos blurted out.

Celestine was slightly surprised, yet she knew why he said that. What was surprising was that Nirvos, the man who gave trust in newfound allies, was actually suspicious of someone.

"May I ask why?" she asked for elaboration.

"'The strength to fight, win, and take everything?' That doesn't just sound ambitious, but I could feel the underlying motive behind that sentence. He fights to get what he wants and wins to become the ultimate winner of it all."

Celestine pondered those words carefully. She knew where he was going with, but they were bordered in the accusation category unless there was evidence of such.

"And to take everything?" she inquired.

"Exactly what it is," he answered with a grim tone. "All of Eostia."

"But why all of Eostia? What could he want with it?" Celestine wondered.

"That, I have no idea," he shook his head. "Whatever for, I do not trust him in the slightest."

The high elf queen looked down and began to think. The next move was to lay siege on the Black Fort. If they did capture it, what would happen to the prisoners? Thoughts of her old friend made her shiver with worry.

"Sir Nirvos," she began. "I have a task for you."

"What is it, my queen?" Nirvos asked, professionalism kicking back in.

Celestine mentally frowned, but disregarded it as she went straight to business. "I have told Volt and his men that you and your unit would partake in this siege on the Black Fortress. I would like you to bring Olga Discordia back alive."

The strategist knight nodded, but one question lingered in his mind.

"Retrieve her alive? Do you not wish for me to slay her?" he asked.

Celestine sighed. She knew a question like that would pop up sooner or later.

"What I will tell you does not leave this room, alright?" she said.

He nodded. It must be urgent enough to remain a secret.

"Olga and I weren't always enemies," Celestine said, looking out at the window as she reminisced through her memories. "Many years ago, we used to rule Eostia together as co-rulers. It wasn't the perfect country that people talked about, but there was a semblance of peace."

Nirvos nodded. Not every country has to be perfect. Everything and everyone had a flaw.

"We did everything in our power to give our hardest in preserving peace," Celestine said. "Our methods were different. I wanted to pacify Eostia while Olga wanted total rule of it."

 _'No surprise there,'_ Nirvos thought. Celestine and Olga were opposites. The High Elf Queen wore a velvet glove that made her loved and admired by all, inspiring loyalty to her people. From the stories he heard, Olga Discordia held an iron fist that spreads fear to all.

"I had defended humans all my life, believing that there was good in there. Olga, while she had protected Eostia, had a huge disdain for humans, due to the fact that

"However, things changed when Olga found out," the high queen grimaced. "She had changed."

"What happened?" Nirvos asked, not liking where this story was going.

"We found out that human traders were conducting slavery of dark elves," Celestine answered. "Furious...wasn't quite the word that I would describe what Olga was feeling, but it was around there."

"We had imprisoned the slave traders before we could decide what to do," she continued, yet she frowned somberly. "However, our discussion had turned into an argument. Olga wanted to execute them, but I wanted to prevent bloodshed by sentence them to life imprisonment."

"By the time I decided to give them their sentences, the guards had reported that the traders were murdered," Celestine continued. "I tried to find Olga, but she had disappeared."

"The next day, reports of monsters lurking outside the fortresses has surfaced. Villages were raided and people were killed. However, I had recognized the enemy's banner and figured out who was responsible for this rebellion," she muttered, a black flag and white sigil imprinted in her mind.

"I tried to contact her, but it seemed that something or someone was blocking my magic," Celestine frowned in thought. "I have spent many years trying to find a way to contact her, yet the war had distracted me from achieving as such."

"Now that the final battle is approaching, I really want this war to end as soon as possible. And I'm sure that Olga does as well," she said. "That's why I am entrusting you to handle this mission."

Nirvos nodded slowly. This was going to be difficult keeping quiet, but a mission from Celestine herself was important.

"I will need to bring a small band of my unit with me," he requested.

She smiled and nodded as soon as she heard his acceptance. "Very well. I will go and inform Volt."

Just as Celestine was about to leave, she noticed that Nirvos was looking outside of the window, she wondered what he was looking at, yet he seemed to be in thought.

"Is there something on your mind, Nirvos?" she asked.

Nirvos let out a soft sigh. He looked back at her.

"I'm afraid that what I'm about to say might disrespect you," he said.

What could he say that could disrespect her? Nirvos should know that she was willing to listen.

"Do not be afraid to speak your mind. You are my strategist after all," Celestine said.

He nodded and looked at her in the eye.

"From your story as to why the war happened, it seemed that both of you were at fault," Nirvos said.

Celestine frowned. Why did that statement hurt more than it should?

"Olga betrayed Eostia because she saw the monstrous side of humanity. However, what must have caused this final decision was your choice to spare and imprison those slave traders," Nirvos said.

"But Nirvos, to execute them would make us no better than them," Celestine pleaded. "They could have redeemed themselves."

"Or they could have escaped. Nobody knows, since they were killed. However, let me ask you this. Instead of dark elves, how would you feel if you find out that they were taking high elves instead?" Nirvos questioned.

That caused the goddess to pause. If it were one of her own, she would definitely be furious. Celestine would've wanted those slavers...

Eyes widened in realization as she finally knew how Olga felt. She needed to fix this as soon as possible!

Nirvos noticed her expression as he nodded.

"We might come from different species, but we all feel the same emotions," he said. "Everyone feels the same emotion and desire when it comes to Olga. What you told me helped me see an even bigger picture that made me feel conflicted."

Olga probably has a side of her story as well. Maybe he could finally see the full illustration of this entire mess.

"I will definitely bring her back in once piece," he said, his voice filled with determination.

Celestine heard that tone as she looked into his blue orbs. She couldn't read what he was feeling, but she believed that it matched his voice.

"I'm glad that I made the right choice in choosing you for this task," she said with a smile.

Celestine walked towards the door and gave Nirvos one last look.

"I have one more request I would like to ask from you," she said.

Nirvos looked at her in curiosity.

"And what would that be?" he asked.

"From now on, I would like you to criticize me if I ever make the wrong choices," Celestine said. "A good ruler must take the time to listen to their subjects' opinions and advice before making such decisions."

"Yes, Celestine," Nirvos said as he nodded firmly.

"Good," she said with a smile. "I look forward to seeing you complete your mission."

With that, she had left the room. Celestine sighed as she rested her back on the door before continuing on back to her quarters.

Thinking back, she realized that the world is a huge grey area and that decisions were hard to make. She wished that she couldn't spill any blood, yet that made things even worse. Not only was there a war, but a war caused by a close friend she had lost.

She could hear the whispers behind her back whenever she attended gatherings, nobles muttering about how she was unfit to rule Eostia and rumors as to what she did that led to this long war.

Celestine was still glad to have genuine supporters on her side. The Seven Shield Alliance had always been there for her and helped protect Eostia from threats. However, she wished that they would be more critical with their opinions and think for themselves. Especially Claudia, since her loyalty towards her was strong.

Nirvos, however, had finally gave her the criticism that made her realize that bloodshed was inevitable. He was different from everyone. While he pointed out her faults, he still held compassion and understanding. He was never harsh, but his voice was firm enough to help grasp what was going on.

It was like he tried to bring the best out of her.

She sighed as she made her way through the corridor. Decisions like these were tough to make. But with his help, maybe she could finally achieve the peace she had sought out for Eostia.

And maybe Nirvos could stay by her side for a long time.

 **XXX**

Nirvos had assembled eight of his men in the barracks to give them the mission briefing. While they were generally surprised that her majesty wanted Olga Discordia alive, nevertheless, they accepted the mission.

"Sir, why simply bring eight of us to a siege?" One of the soldiers asked. "Wouldn't it be easier if we brought a thousand of us?"

"Normally under this circumstance, I would," Nirvos said. "However, the main force we will be aiding are the Black Dogs. Our task is a stealth operation."

 _'Besides, I don't trust either of them,'_ Nirvos thought as he looked out of the window to find Black Dogs banners from the distance.

"So when are we leaving?"

He snapped out of his thoughts as he looked back at them. "Tomorrow morning. We leave before the sun rises. Are we clear?"

They nodded firmly.

"Dismissed." With that order, the eight men had gone their separate ways.

Nirvos looked out of the window once more, the anticipation of battle making his heart beat even faster. The final battle was approaching and he needed to give it his all.

 _'But why do I feel like something bad is going to happen?'_

 **XXX**

The day had finally arrived. The Black Dogs began their march to the Black Fortress. Nirvos's unit was marching alongside their commander.

Nirvos rode towards the front and approached Volt.

"Sir Volt, perhaps we could use this time to discuss strategy," he began.

"First of all, just call me Volt. None of that formal crap," the Black Dog leader said. "Second of all, we already got a strategy. So don't worry about it."

"Ah, care to share with me?" Nirvos inquired.

He simply smirked. "Well, I better not leave you out of the loop in case something backfired."

"Oh?" The strategist muttered.

"We've got an inside man that will help us open the gate. There, we'll take every section of the fortress! While we're doing that, your unit is going to find the queen bitch herself," Volt explained. "Be careful though. Her magic is powerful because of that staff she has. Some stories have claimed that she could control anyone to do her bidding, cause destruction and maybe resurrect the dead."

 _'A staff that powerful exists?'_ Nirvos thought in wonder. Getting Olga to surrender will be difficult if she were to wield that much power.

Throughout the expedition, monsters, demons and several of Olga's troops had been encountered in various ambushes. About a quarter of the Black Dogs had fallen to these sporadic attacks while one member of Nirvos's unit had been critically wounded. However, they did rest for an hour before continuing on.

"So, what's your type of girl you fancy?" Hicks asked Nirvos as they ventured on.

"I fancy?" the strategist muttered, taken aback by such a question.

"Yeah," the rogue said as he clarified the question. "Like which one are you attracted to?"

"Hmm..." Nirvos thought as he looked up to the sky. "There's a lot to choose from."

"Oh, come on!" Hicks threw his arms up. "There's like a lot of ladies to choose from! We've got Celestine, who's reincarnated as a goddess! And it shows from that flawless body she has! Then there's Olga, whose practically a chocolate-skinned babe!"

Nirvos winced at how odd Hicks's descriptions of these women are.

"Then we've got her bodyguard, whose got those exotic features that could kill an old man within a heartbeat," Hicks continued.

A bodyguard? He would have to be careful.

"And we've got the Princess Knights as well!" Hicks continued with a growing leer on his face. "There's the noble Alicia whose blonde hair that matches her eyes. Then we've got pure and innocent Prim makes me wanna give her a big hug! There's also the mysterious Kaguya that has this seductive vibe and that little Lou Lou who's actually older than she looks. What about Claudia with her mature married body or maybe our former comrade the feisty redhead Maia? Nirvos, buddy! There's a lot of choices!"

The strategist knight looked disgusted underneath his helmet. The way he described them with that lecherous expression was something Nirvos didn't seem fond of. Nevertheless, he decided to humor him.

"Well, there's so many to decide. I can't possibly pick one of them," he said.

Hicks grinned. "Not to worry! After this entire battle is over, you won't have to decide anymore!"

Nirvos shook his head. While he knew that they were all beautiful, all he wanted in a partner was someone who would accept him for what he is. He doubt that anyone of them would understand.

 _'But what did he mean that he wouldn't have to decide anymore?'_ He thought. He didn't have time to think of that as a voice called out.

"There we are!" Volt exclaimed as they arrived at the Badlands.

The Badlands was placed in merely the outskirts of the Black Fortress. It was pretty much a desert wasteland. The mountains and cliffs made several narrow paths and unpredictable areas. Some of the trenches contained poisonous marshes.

"We'll build our campsite here," Volt said as he looked out to the area.

Nirvos joined him as well. He squinted his eyes to see and feel some sort of strange aura over the fortress.

"Dark magic," Kin said, walking towards them. "She must've placed runes around the fort."

Nirvos looked at him. "You would have to find a powerful spell to disable it."

Hicks arrived with a smirk. "Don't worry about it. We've got an inside man in there."

"Hmm..." the strategist hummed in thought, wondering who might it be.

"Once the runes are disabled, your unit will infiltrate from the fort's rear while the main force distracts the enemy," Volt took over. "The Black Dogs' strength comes in numbers and since you brought a small group with you, it makes it convenient for you to pierce through the enemy's defenses."

"I see," Nirvos said. "Not bad of a strategy, but how will we know where Olga will be?"

Volt gave him a copy of a map. It was a map of the interior.

"Olga's probably in the throne room, so you're gonna have to get ready to face her," he said. "You've got eight guys that got your back, so you're gonna do fine."

"Of course," Nirvos said. "When do we leave?"

"Just as soon as I give the signal," Hicks answered. "All you gotta do is station yourself behind the fortress."

It's a long trek, but he needed to be there as soon as possible.

"Remember if you feel the dark energy dissipate, then that means that it is your cue to begin the infiltration," Kin reminded.

"So what're you waiting for? An invitation? Get to it!" Volt exclaimed jovially as he slapped Nirvos's back.

"R-right," the pitch knight said as he ran off, stuttering from the stumble he just received. "I'll get my men and we'll be off!"

The three key members of the Black Dogs watched him run off.

"So," Kin began. "What do you make of him?"

"He has potential. He could make a useful ally," Volt answered.

"The guy doesn't discriminate with all these ladies. When the plan finally comes together, he'll be happy that he got the jackpot!" Hicks exclaimed.

"You mean 'we' will hit the jackpot," Volt rephrased. "Once he'll hear our plan, he's bound to join us."

 **XXX**

Nirvos and his men made his way around the fortress. The path was very dangerous and with one critically wounded soldier recently patched up, they had to slow down for a bit. Fortunately, they managed to get around it without casualties.

"We'll have to wait under the barrier is down," Nirvos said. "So stay sharp and alert."

His unit nodded as they stood and waited, shields and various different weapons in hand. Silence filled the air as they felt sweat pouring down their heads underneath their helmets. Either the heat was getting to them or they were starting to feel nervous from the battle.

A few moments went by until Nirvos felt the dark aura dissipate into nothingness.

 _'There's the signal!'_ He thought. "Everyone, move out!"

"Sir!" They exclaimed as they followed in right into the castle.

 **XXX**

 **(Tooth Claw from Killer Instinct OST)**

Nirvos and his men fought their way through various hordes of monsters. Left and right, the corridors were filled to the brim as they tried to make their way through.

"How are you holding up?!" Nirvos called out as he beheaded a goblin.

"We're fine, sir!" One of them said, smashing an orc's head with his flail. "But I think Ramsey's out of it, sir!"

"Don't worry about me!" Ramsey, the wounded scout, exclaimed as he stabbed an imp with his dagger. "Our priority is the mission!"

Nirvos looked in worry, before his eyes narrowed in determination as he continued to charge his way through. Stabbing into one of the demons, he pulled it back and delivered a backswing to behead it.

Another orc tried to attack him from behind, but Nirvos anticipated it and turned around to block the incoming axe with his shield. With a quick stab, he delivered a shield uppercut.

Finding a set of stairs, he realized that they were in the basement floor. It led to both up and down. Nirvos was curious what was downstairs. Nevertheless, he still went up as the mission was important.

 **XXX**

Nirvos and his unit made their way through the corridors. He looked around to see if there were any doors that had a grandiose design. Walking around, they still ran into some more enemies as they tried to make their way through.

"AARGH!" He heard a cry of agony.

"Ramsey!!!" One of his soldiers exclaimed.

"Shit!" Ramsey exclaimed with grit teeth as his wound was reopened right in the stomach. Finding a cyclops approaching him, the wounded soldier tossed his dagger right into the monster's eye. It roared in agony as it was blinded by the sharp piercing projectile. It began to swing it's club around, smashing the walls. Ramsey rolled out of the way as he smashed his shield right into the cyclops's kneecaps, causing it to stumble to the ground. The wounded soldier took his dagger back.

"Alcott, heal up his wound," Nirvos ordered.

"Yes, sir!" the javelin warrior replied as he helped Ramsey down and tried to close up the wound.

"Stannis and Novelsky, you two will stay with them and watch their backs," the strategist said.

The archer (Stannis) and flailer (Novelsky) nodded as they stood by him.

"The rest of you, come with me," he continued. With that, four stayed back with the other four continued on.

 **XXX**

Nirvos noticed how the next area looked way bigger than before. Looking up the map, there were four paths to take. Both the north and west lead to bigger areas, but the north had two areas.

"We'll have to split up. I'll take the north while one of you two will take the west," Nirvos said, navigating through the map.

"Leave it to me!" the axeman exclaimed while the longswordman nodded.

"Very well," he said. "Let's go!"

"Right!" The halberdier and hammerman exclaimed as they followed him.

 **XXX**

"We're close!" Nirvos exclaimed as the trio ran forward. "Prepare yourself!"

However, they found that a huge wave of enemies were waiting for them as they stood right in front of a heavily-designed door.

"Leave them to us, commander!" The halberdier exclaimed as he and the hammerman charged.

"You go on ahead!" The hammerman exclaimed.

The halberdier swung his weapon at some orcs, cutting a row of them in half. Twirling it around, he stabbed into an ogre and kicked the back of an imp's head. Pulling his weapon back, he delivered a diagonal slash towards a goblin.

The hammerman smashed an imp to mush before swinging his weapon to smash a drakkon's skull to bits. He elbowed a goblin's head hard before smashing the skull of a beastman.

Nirvos ran towards the door, leaping forwards as he stabbed right into a demon's chest, dragging his blade through the flesh. Landing safely, he found himself right in front of the double doors. Slowly, he pushed them open as he entered the room.

 **(End OST)**

 **XXX**

The doors behind him closed as he sheathed his sword. The room was illuminated by various torches that hung on several pillars as a red throne was facing him right at the opposite end. However, something had caught his attention.

Or in this case, someone.

This person sat on the throne in all her regal beauty. She was tall woman that stood at around 5'10", looked quite young for someone her age, had mesmerizing dark brown skin, long, midnight black hair and piercing golden eyes. Her chocolate skin gleamed in the fire light and her black hair flowed down all the way to her black high heeled shoes. Her knife long ears were pierced by three golden earrings on each side.

On her head was a silver purple-ish crown while she wore a black and gold multi-sectioned cape around her shoulders. It matched well with the strapless purple corset that held back her bosom. To go with the corset, she also wore matching purple leggings and armbands. Above the black thong she wore was a black tattoo that was placed right underneath her bellybutton. In her hands, she held a black staff with a red jewel imbedded in the curved part of her staff and a golden hoop surrounding the base.

This was Olga Discordia, queen of the dark elves.

"So an army invaded my fortress, a traitor lowers my defenses, my monsters practically get slaughtered...," Olga's tone is lowered. "Yet the enemy sends one human to confront me? I don't know whether to feel insulted or amused."

"Lady Olga Discordia," Nirvos began as he sheathed his sword. "I am tasked in returning you to Celestine Lucross herself. So I implore you to surrender. Your armies have been demolished, thus outnumbering you."

She had a small sneer on her face. "So what? Even if I am at a disadvantage, your forces are still no match for my magic."

"True, but I do not wish to fight," Nirvos said. "In fact, how about we discuss this with civil diplomacy?"

Olga scowled. "You dare to mock we with such empty words?"

"Oh, I am serious," Nirvos replied. "We've been in a state of war for quite a long time. When was the last time you ever spoke to someone about politics?"

She raised an eyebrow. "You come barging in my fortress all because you wish to speak with me? Quite a contradiction in that statement."

"There were no other options since your army is not only excessively violent, they also have quite a history in causing strife," he replied. "I would doubt that they would accept my request for your audience."

A small smile appeared on her face. "You're quite humorous, aren't you? Too bad that's not enough for me to spare your life."

"Communication is very important, you know," he said. "When was the last time you ever spoke to her?"

"What happened between me and Celestine is none of your business," she shot back, scowling.

"Then you must surrender," Nirvos implored.

She glared at him. "Who are you to tell me what to do, human?"

"I am Nirvos Veuillet. I am not just any human. I am a protector of Eostia," he answered as he stared back.

Olga could hear the conviction in his voice. She didn't change her expression, but she could hear the truth in his voice.

 _'Determined, if not stubborn,'_ Olga thought.

"Are you really that loyal to Celestine?" she questioned.

"Celestine has brought me out of the pit of despair. In return, I pledge my loyalty as her strategist and help her become a better ruler," Nirvos said.

"Even if it means executing someone in cold blood?" Olga asked.

"Of course. Bloodshed is inevitable. And we need to punish those that have performed unforgivable acts in order to set an example of those that wish to harm Eostia," Nirvos answered.

Olga was surprised by his answer. While his desire for peace is prevalent and his loyalty to Celestine is evident, it seems that he has some form of realism in his mindset.

"Lady Discordia, do you not wish for this tiresome war to end?" He suddenly asked.

She looked at him with a frown. "What are you implying?"

"You have claimed that the dark elves are a superior race," Nirvos replied as he slowly began to approach her. "What happened to them?"

She closed her eyes as memories and images of the past appeared as flashes in her mind. Olga could hear the screams of terror as they clouded her mind.

Slowly, she opened her eyes to look back at Nirvos.

"What does it matter to you, anyway?" she asked in a neutral tone.

"Because if many lives are lost, then we need to end this war now," Nirvos answered.

"Why should I surrender when the humans will still cause chaos once more? That's all they've ever done throughout the decades," Olga said with a bitter look on her face.

"Because Celestine wishes to fix her mistakes," was his answer. "Starting by bringing you back to her."

She looked at him, slight surprise on her expression.

"So has she finally broken out of her naïveté?" she pondered. "This is quite the turn of events."

"She has learned more, but she is still the benevolent ruler that I pledged to," Nirvos commented.

Olga remembered the friendship she had shared with the high elves goddess. She remembered her vow of peace within Eostia. However, she scowled when she did not wish to execute those slavers. To hear that she had changed her outlook made her wonder.

"If what you say is true, then you will take me to her to meet her so that I can see for myself," she declared.

"Does that mean..." he trailed off.

She gave him a seductive smirk. "I, Olga Discordia, fully give my surrender. Therefore, my life is in your hands."

Her smirk turned into a glare. "Do not make me regret this decision."

Nirvos sighed in relief. Mission accomplished.

Suddenly, the doors slammed opened as Volt had arrived.

"Nirvos! What happened here?" Volt called out, his broadsword hoisted on his shoulder.

Both of them turned to see him arrive. Olga had a deep scowl on her face while Nirvos's eyes narrowed.

"Volt," he began. "Lady Discordia has finally surrendered."

Volt smirked. "That's a relief. Wouldn't want to put an ugly scar on her pretty little head."

"However, we aren't going to take any chances."

With a snap of his finger, the Black Dog grunts dragged out someone.

"Let me go, you insufferable humans!" The voice was feminine and younger.

The prisoner was a dark elf girl. She seemed to be around her late teens, had a lithe figure, lighter skin that seemed close to tan, red eyes and platinum blonde hair that was tied into a ponytail on the left side.

She wore a dark purple jacket that covered her shoulders and upper arms with a black cape that hung over her right side. She even had the same tattoo as Olga had underneath her naval. The corset was connected to her thongs and leggings by red straps in a garterbelt-like fashion. Worn with her purple leggings was a pair of brown boots.

This must be her bodyguard.

"My lady, forgive me!" She exclaimed through grit teeth.

Nirvos saw that Olga's expression grew with worry.

"Chloe," the queen muttered quietly.

"Heh, and she put up quite a fight too. A shame that didn't last," Volt remarked.

"Let her go now, human!" Olga demanded as her staff began to light up.

"Or what?!" Volt challenged. "Want me to slit your bodyguard's throat before you can conjure up a spell?"

"My lady, please! Do not worry about me!" Chloe exclaimed. "Fight back!"

"Hush! The adults are talking!" Volt hissed as he pulled her by the ponytail.

"KYA!" Chloe screamed out in pain.

"Damn you, Volt!" Olga seethed in rage as her staff began to light up even more. "Stop this at once!"

"C'mon! I dare you to try and blow me away to kingdom come!" The Black Dog leader grinned.

"That's quite enough."

That one calm statement caused everyone to turn to Nirvos. His eyes were still narrowed as he stared at Volt.

"Volt, you've had your fun. Lady Discordia has given her word that she has surrender. I would advise you to return her retainer at once," Nirvos said.

"I'll give her back," Volt smirked. "As long as she surrenders her staff to us."

Olga growled in anger. "What makes you think I would just give my staff away?!"

"Remember, it's your staff or her life," The Black Dog leader reminded.

Nirvos frowned at the hostage situation. She had surrendered, so why torment and mock her? He moticed that Olga's face had paled at that challenge.

The staff was the source of her powers, but Chloe was very important to her. She could not decide, but in the end, she made the choice.

Clenching her hold, Olga had reluctantly handed the staff over to them.

"Thank you!" Volt exclaimed, his tone mocking the former queen. "Kin!"

"As you wish," the magician said as he took the staff.

"Ah, the Royal Scepter of the Dark Elves," Kin mused. "I can't wait to research it's dark magical properties."

With that, he walked over to Olga and placed a collar around her neck.

"Don't touch her, filth!" Chloe growled, but she still couldn't move. Olga continued to glare at her captors.

"What collars are those?" Nirvos asked.

"These collars prevent any magic from being used from the mental energy," Kin explained. "For example, telepathy or telekinesis. Especially mind reading."

"Ah."

"Take these two to the dungeons," Volt ordered. "We'll keep them down there until everything's fine and dandy."

With that, the Black Dog grunts drag them away. Olga turns back and gives Nirvos a small pleading look as she is lead away.

With that, all that was left in the throne room was Volt and Nirvos.

"Was that all part of your plan?" Nirvos questioned.

"Yep! The queen's almost like Celestine, so why not use that weakness against her!" Volt answered. "And it worked like a charm."

"Well, I need to make the preparations for the departure," Nirvos stated.

Volt frowned. "Now hold on there. We already made it here. All we gotta do is check this place out before we can leave."

"And how long will that be?" Nirvos asked.

"Three days," Volt answered. "But don't worry. There's bound to be treasure all over this place."

"Can I at least order my men to return to Ken? One of my soldiers is wounded," Nirvos requested.

Volt thought about it before he shrugged. "Sure, why not?"

A thought had occurred in Nirvos's head.

"I have one more question I need you to answer," he said.

Volt groaned. "What's with all the questions? You sound like a guard! But fine. What is it?"

"Who was the defector?" He asked.

"That would be me."

Nirvos turned to see a familiar face...and a familiar sword.

"Garokk?!" The strategist knight exclaimed in surprise.

"Fancy meeting you on the same side," The death knight grinned.

"He's your inside man?!" Nirvos questioned in disbelief.

"Surprised? I know I was," Garokk said. "Looks like we'll be fighting on the same side."

"You said it!" Volt exclaimed. "Come on! Let's go celebrate! Nirvos, you joining us or what?"

"I'll be there in a minute," Nirvos answered. "Don't wait up on me."

And thus, he was alone in the throne room. That, until his men had appeared. Ramsey was being carried by Alcott.

"Did you hear all that?" Nirvos asked.

They all nodded.

"You're all to return to Ken as soon as possible. Make sure Ramsey is taken to the healers," he ordered.

"Sir!" They exclaimed as they went off.

Nirvos looked down at his fist, clenching it tightly. The war was finally over.

But why does he feel that an omen is coming?

 **XXX**

 **A/N: And I finally finished the chapter! It takes a lot to write.**

 **The minimum words for each chapter I'm going for it 5000, so I'm going to have to write a lot. That means longer updates since I have other fics that I want to update.**

 **On the other hand, this story is my top priority.**

 **Leave suggestions or comments in the reviews or PMs. If you have criticisms or other things I can expand on, send it to me as well so that I can modify and expand the chapter!**

 **For the eight soldiers, they're the equivalent to generic NPCs. Same character model and same voice. However, they'll be relevant combat-wise. But I will indulge in little backstory.**

 ** _Nirvos's Bodyguard Unit:_**

 **\- Conner Declan. The captain of the unit and a lieutenant of Nirvos. He wields an axe and a shield. A former soldier on the front, he was promoted after leading a successful second wave charge during the battle of Lucull.**

 **-Martijn Ramsey. The scout speedster. He wields a shield and a dagger. A former thief, he was sentenced to community service under the bodyguard unit. He managed to trigger several ambushes on the traitorous viceroy during the battle of Lucull.**

 **-Pauliano Alcott. The jack-of-trades. He wields a javelin and shield. An ex-member of the militia and former gladiator, he caused a major malfunction within the enemy pirate's ship by jamming one of his javelins into the rudder.**

 **-Greyham Stannis. The rear guard and marksman. He wields a bow. An ex-assassin, he traded in his daggers for clean kills. Assassinated 20 bandit leaders.**

 **-Kareen Novelsky. The brute. He wields a chain flail and shield. Fought alongside Nirvos since the foundation of his military unit.**

 **-Barnus Clyvayle. The swordsman. He wields a longsword. A former bandit, he redeemed himself by rescuing Nirvos from an ambush in the outskirts of Feoh.**

 **-Edgewick Brineley. The skilled warrior. He wields a halberd. A former traveler, he has gained a record of 215 duel victories and 12 losses.**

 **-Gabriel Forrester. The muscle. He wields a battlehammer. A part-time blacksmith, he has smashed the skulls of 126 imps, 76 goblins, 103 orcs, 154 ghouls, 65 ogres and 236 other enemies. Oh, and he skinned a demon.**

I'll see you all next time.


	5. Escape From Black Fortress

The Kuroinu had celebrated all night long right after taking over the Black Fortress. They had raided all the alcohol and food from the kitchens and gambled away gold freely through card games. Nirvos had a fair share of banquets, but a rogue's feast is practically out of his comfort zone.

The strategist knight had ordered his men to rest a bit before ordering to return to Ken. He needed them to report to Celestine that the siege was a success and that Olga has surrendered. Ramsey had to be taken to the healers to recover from the grave wound.

While the mercenaries were living it up in the party, Nirvos decided to explore around the fortress. Currently, he was at the ground floor. Looking between left and right, he noticed a metallic door with a skull on the arch.

He decided to enter the room and see what was inside. As he entered, he looked around and saw a lot of weapons and armor stacked on shelves or placed on stands. It seemed that they were all on display.

"Nirvos!" A Black Dog guard greeted along with another.

"So this is the armory," Nirvos mused.

"Yep! We're told to keep guard of anything funny in this place," the other guard replied as both of them were playing some sort of card game.

"So what brings you here?" One of them asked as he placed another card on the center pile.

"I'm just exploring around since it's quite a big fortress," Nirvos answered.

"Aye," the guard nodded in agreement. "It's very big. All you have to do is memorize the areas."

"Right," he said as he looked around the area, walking through the shelves as he took a look at the weapons. He noticed Olga's staff on a stand.

"The staff is off limits," the guard said. "Volt's orders."

"Ah," was all Nirvos said as he took one last look at it before walking back to the door. "Have a safe night, both of you."

"Cheers."

 **XXX**

Nirvos remembered a staircase leading down further. Now that the battle was over, he decided to venture down and explore what was there.

Torches illuminated the path down as he went further. He noticed that the shadows were quite strong as he descended. It must be how deep the basement was.

As he went down further, he could hear voices getting louder.

"So this is the Dark Elf Queen, eh? She doesn't look so tough without her fancy magic stick."

"True, but she looks quite hot."

"Damn, she's really got a hot piece of ass there!"

"I can't wait until—"

"Gentlemen," Nirvos called out as he arrived to see three mercenaries right in front of a prison cell. Hearing the newcomer's voice, the trio had stumbled around to face him.

"N-Nirvos! What are you doing here?" one of them asked.

Observing their expressions, he had noticed that they looked rather nervous around him. His glowing blue orbs seemed to have unnerved them. It seemed suspicious, so he'll have no choice but to deceive them.

"Volt requested that I take over your shift," Nirvos said smoothly.

"Oh!" All nervousness was lost as they looked excited. "Thanks, Nirvos! Let's join the party!"

With that, the three guards happily took their exit while Nirvos walked closer to the cell. He saw Olga sitting on the ground on her knees, glaring at the retreating mercenaries before turning her attention to Nirvos. Her expression had softened once she saw him. Chloe was slumbering peacefully on Olga's lap.

Crouching down, he was at eye level to Olga's.

"They did not do anything to you, did they?" He asked.

Olga was mildly startled by his concern before she shook her head. "All they ever did was entice my anger. Nothing problematic at the moment."

"Ah, good," he sighed in relief. "I would have to ask Volt to discipline his men."

"There's something I don't understand," the dark elf mused. "You claim that you are loyal to Celestine, yet you are working with the Black Dog mercenaries."

"And I am still loyal to her majesty," he reaffirmed.

"Then why work with those damn vagabonds?" she questioned.

He looked down at the floor in thought before looking back at her.

"In times of war, we need to do all we can to ensure victory," he answered. "As much as I disapprove of the attitudes of mercenaries, they still provide results."

Olga hummed in thought. She hired monsters into her army, so she could agree with that.

"Besides, I've been away subjugating bandits so much that Celestine had to practically hire mercenaries," Nirvos added.

"You fought vagrants instead of entering the frontlines? Why?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.

"The war has allowed them to raid the villages," he answered. "Instead of helping strategise the frontlines, I needed to work behind the scenes and help them."

Olga frowned, remembering one of her reports that the invasion of Lucull was a failure and had turned the tide against her. "You're a strategist? I assume you were responsible for preventing my plan on taking Lucull?"

He nodded, causing the dark elf queen to sigh. "I should have known. I've heard of rumors of a strategist working for Celestine. I didn't think it was someone like you."

"Me?" He questioned.

"Of course. You look more suited for fighting than strategizing," Olga said.

"True, though I like to think that I can battle someone with my wit," he jokingly replied.

The dark elf queen gave a small chuckle at that. As she looked closer into his eyes, she noticed how strange it was for a human to have eyes that illuminate.

"Is there something wrong?" Nirvos asked, noticing how she was staring at him.

Olga blinked before she looked away. "It's nothing."

He shrugged. "If you say so." Nirvos looked down at the sleeping Chloe. "How is your bodyguard?"

"Chloe?" Olga pondered. She looked down and gently brushed the side of her hair, causing the younger dark elf to smile unconsciously. "Other than her outbursts towards the guards, she's fine."

"That's a relief," he said. "I'd like you both to stay in one piece."

"She can be a bit stubborn, but she is a good person at heart," Olga told him.

He suddenly began to hear footsteps. "I have to go now."

Olga frowned softly. "Do you really have to leave?"

"The guards would question me as to why I'm here," he answered as he got up. "Besides, I will return."

His statement made Olga's heart flutter and relieved. As he left, she began to scowl as she prepared to brace herself for more degrading remarks from her unpleasant captors.

Still, the image of his glowing blue orbs had been imprinted in her mind. Olga remembered his statement on how he wasn't just a man. Could he be letting on something entirely differently?

 _'Nirvos Veuillet, you interest me. Just who or what are you?'_

 **XXX**

Fulfilling his word, Nirvos had returned the next night. This time, he brought a tray containing some plain food and a bowl of water. He had to lie to the guards once more to get them away.

"I brought you two some food," he said as he knelt down.

This time, Chloe was awake. And her response was what anyone would expected.

"We refuse to eat your filth, human," she hissed. "So why don't you-"

"Chloe," Olga chastised gently before she turned her attention to him. "Thank you."

He shook his head. "No thanks are needed."

"Not like you deserved any," Chloe grumbled under her breath.

Olga gave her aide a stern look before she diverted her attention. "When will we see Celestine?"

"We will depart tomorrow once Volt has finished inspecting the fortress," Nirvos answered.

"Another 24 hours? It feels like forever," Olga mused as she took a small bite out of a slice of bread. "Chloe, you should eat before you starve."

Chloe's eyes went wide as she was about to protest, but her stomach began to growl. Feeling flustered, she reluctantly took another slice and began to nibble.

The bread was stale, but it was better than nothing.

Olga stared into space while in thought. "It's been many years since I've ever left this fortress. I can't remember the last time that I have ever been to civilisation."

"The land is still prospering," Nirvos answered. "You will have to see it yourself."

"Well, I look forward to finding out myself," Olga remarked.

Throughout his patrol, they began to chat about Eostia or Celestine herself. Chloe, for her part, made scathing remarks or insults towards him. Nirvos took them in stride since this wasn't the first time he has ever received them. Other than that, she was quiet for the time being.

Olga internally sighed as she wished that they met under different circumstances. He could have been a valuable ally in her army. Maybe with him, he would have turned the tide of battle to her advantage. Yet, maybe it was for the best.

Nirvos, for his part, felt terrible that she was her prisoner. To him, she seemed to be an affable person so as long as he treated her with respect. He knew why she and Celestine used to be close friends.

Chloe scowled at the interaction between the two. Wasn't he supposed to be their captor? Why was her mistress making niceties with him?! She could not trust him. For all she knew, he was like the rest of these human bastards!

A while later, Nirvos began to yawn.

"It's time for me to depart," he said as he slowly got up. "Tomorrow, I will escort you to her highness. It's best that you get rest."

"Oh?" Olga mused with a flirtatious tone in her voice. "I hope you don't try to do something to me during my slumber."

"You better not," Chloe warned dangerously.

To the dark elf queen's disappointment, he shook his head. "Even if you're my prisoner, to sully your honor is disgraceful behaviour."

Despite her failed attempt, Olga had chuckled. "You're too noble for your own good. Keep that up and someone will be bound to take advantage of that."

She could feel him smiling behind his helmet. "I'm well aware of that. Sleep well. We've got a long journey tomorrow."

With that, he got up and was about to leave until Olga called out to him.

"Nirvos, wait," Nirvos turned around to face her, who had a concerned and worried expression on her face. "Be careful out there. I heard that Volt and his men have planned sinister intentions for me and Chloe."

Nirvos frowned behind his helmet. His suspicions were catching up.

"Thank you for the warning, Olga," he replied. However, all he got was a glare from her.

"Did I say you could use my name familiarly without my permission?" she questioned sternly, though no one could notice the tinge of humor.

Nirvos realized his mistake.

"Ah. I do apologize for that, Lady Discordia," he said.

Olga slightly frowned at that. Using her surname made them sound like strangers. Nevertheless, she was pleased that he remained respectful.

"Hmph, it's quite alright," she replied. "You've been nothing but polite, so I shall forgive you this time."

"Thank you. Have a nice rest," Nirvos said before he left.

Once he was gone, Chloe finally spoke up.

"Mistress, you shouldn't trust him so easily," she warned. "He's the enemy!"

"He WAS the enemy," Olga replied calmly. "Now, we are his prisoners."

"But why are you courteous to him? He would probably stab us in the back once he releases us from this cell," Chloe retorted.

The dark elf queen shook her head. "He is far too trusting. Besides, he's not like those humans."

"What makes him so different?" Chloe asked bitterly and skeptically.

"He might not be human at all," was the answer she got. It caused her aide to look at her confusion.

 **XXX**

Today was finally the day as they were set to leave. Nirvos was all geared up and prepared as he and the Black Dogs gathered in the throne room. Strange enough, Volt sat on the throne itself like he was a king.

"We should leave now before everyone else will begin to worry about us," Nirvos stated. However, there was an uncomfortable silence between them. "Well?"

"Nirvos, we aren't going back," Volt said.

Wait, what?

The strategist knight blinked in confusion. Getting off the throne, Volt began to walk towards him.

"Nirvos, how would you describe life in Eostia? Like how you see the current state of this land on a first world and third world problem," The Black Dog leader asked.

The strategist knight looked down at the floor in thought before looking at him.

"The times were quite tough during the war. But now once it's all over, we can finally achieve better lives," he answered.

"Exactly, But have you thought of going even higher?"

"What are you implying?" Nirvos inquired.

"We're warriors! You're a soldier and we're mercenaries. Once this war is all over, there's no use for us," Volt explained.

"Care to share what brought this on?" Nirvos asked, curiosity in his tone.

Volt smirked as he slung his arm over the back of Nirvos's neck. "A long time ago, the world was created under the foundation of man. See, men called all the shots on who did what or what was happening while women stayed in back and we'd tell 'em what to do."

Volt began to scowl. "But things began to change when they started taking over power. With the Princess Knights, they started telling us what to do! Come to think about it, this whole war started with Celestine and Olga! Those goddess bitches and their sluts!"

The Black Dog leader spat on the ground. "Well I say enough is enough! We cleaned up their messes and now we're gonna lose our professions because of them. We're warriors, damnit! They're gonna pay us gold. So what? Is that really enough?"

Volt calmed himself as he was eye level with Nirvos, who was slowly getting unnerved underneath his helmet. Behind Volt, Nirvos could see orcs, imps, ogres and various demons come in. "Back then, women did what we told them to do. Cooking, cleaning, making the bed. Even fucking! Whatever we wanted, whenever we wanted. With that said, I'm planning to bring back the glory days. With this fortress, this power and the army of demons, the Black Dogs are going to make revolutionary history!"

He began to smirk. "And that's where you come in, Nirvos. A strategist of a thousand tactics. With you on our side, we could be an unstoppable force to be reckoned with! I could let you be the first to fuck Celestine, the dark elves or even any of the Princess Knights! You can even fuck anyone you desire! Mothers, wives, daughters, fat, skinny, young, old, human, non-human, whoever you want!"

"I need you," Volt pointed to him. "To help me, no, help us, turn this vision into a reality! Yesterday was the end of Eostia. Today marks the beginning of the Kuroinu Sex Empire! We will go down in history as the saviours of this land and become kings! And we'll start with those dark elf bitches. So what day you, men?!"

The Black Dogs roared in approval as did the demons. Hicks has a lecherous grin on his face while Kin gave a smirk. Garokk, however, strangely had a neutral expression on his face. Nirvos was quiet, his hand gripping on his shield tightly.

Looking back at Nirvos, Volt offered him a handshake.

"So what do you say? Will you join me in this conquest?"

The strategist knight looked down at the floor, seemingly in thought. After a few seconds, he finally spoke up.

"You said any woman, right?" he asked quietly.

"Yep! Every single one!" Volt confirmed.

"And I get to be the first with the Princess Knights?" Nirvos questioned softly.

The Black Dog leader smirked. "Oh, ho! You really do catch on. Of course!"

The rest of the mercenaries began to grumble before Hicks interjected.

"Settle down, guys," Hicks said, trying to ease the crew. "I spoke with the guy and he wasn't sure what kind of preference he had with. Since he did get Olga to surrender, I thinks it's fair that he get the first taste.

Volt gave a satisfied smile. "I think that settles that." He turned to Nirvos. "Well?"

The strategist knight closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Once he let it out, he opened them once more.

"I'm in."

The entire crew exploded into cheers and roads of victory as Volt smirked and gave him a bone-crushing bear hug.

"Welcome aboard, Nirvos! You're gonna fit right in!" He exclaimed as he gave a strong pat on the back, causing Nirvos to stumble forward a bit. Volt then snapped his finger to motion someone to step forward.

An orc approached them, snorting and picking its nose.

"Alright, big guy! Bring us the blonde one," Volt ordered.

The orc nodded with a grin on his face.

"I had to make a deal with them that they could fuck her in exchange for their allegiance. Apparently, she was a real bitch to them. So, revenge is going to be sweet," the leader explained. Nirvos looked at the orc before following him.

"I had better make sure he doesn't make any mistakes," Nirvos said. "After all, a leader like you needs the best results."

Volt smirked before he motioned him. "Go ahead! You did call dibs."

Nirvos nodded as he followed the orc. Unbeknownst to him, Garokk watched the departing strategist with a bloodthirsty grin on his face. Everyone mistook this for lust, but no one realized that it was anticipated bloodlust.

 **XXX**

Olga sat in her cell, staring up at the ceiling. Ever since her imprisonment, she had grown fond of Nirvos thanks to his kind treatment towards her and Chloe. He was a nice breath of fresh air compared to those Black Dog scum.

She wished she still had her magical staff just so that she could blow up those vagrants. She could still use magic, but her staff helped magnify her powers. Now, it was in the armory where it was guarded.

Soon, they heard footsteps as they turned to see Nirvos coming down. Olga smiled softly, but it turned into confusion and worry once she saw an orc behind him. The two walked towards the cell.

"Nirvos, what's going on?" the dark elf queen asked. Why was an orc roaming free? Weren't these demons the Black Dogs' enemies?

"Open it," Nirvos ordered. The orc complied as he opened the cell door with a key and entered. Soon, it began to approach Chloe, who backed away to the wall.

"Stay away from me, you mongrel!" Chloe shrieked.

The orc simply gave a grin as it continued, taking out a pair of chains.

 **(Yamazaki from Samurai Warriors 1 OST)**

But as soon as it entered the cell, it roared in pain as it fell to its knees. The two dark elves blinked in shock as Nirvos pulled out Moonlight Reaver from the orc's kneecap before impaling it's head.

Sheathing his sword, he looked at them.

"Are you both alright?" Nirvos asked.

Both of them nodded before Olga got up with a serious expression. "What happened?"

"Volt never intended to honor the surrender," he answered, causing Olga's eyes to widen. "He was using this fortress as a base of operations to conquer all of Eostia and regress it into a barbarian society. One of his goals was to violate women all over the land. Starting with your aide."

"What?!" Chloe exclaimed furiously. Olga had to calm her down, but she was seething on the inside. "Those damn humans!"

"I swear, you humans always plot and scheme against each other. Not even a single shred of care of who gets hurt in the process. It's quite amazing how you've lasted this long," Olga muttered.

"It's part of nature," Nirvos agreed. "But it's not like dark elves have done that before, right?"

She smirked. "Touché."

He shook his head. "Anyway, we must leave at once."

"Nirvos, wait," Olga called out. The strategist knight turned to look at her. "We need to get our weapons back. Especially my staff."

"And what do you propose?" Nirvos questioned. "The fortress is heavily guarded with Black Dogs."

Olga merely smiled as she walked towards the dead end of the dungeon. She placed a hand on one of the bricks before pushing it. Stepping back, the wall opened up to reveal a passageway.

"I've had secret passageways hidden all over the fortress as a contingency plan. Who do you think built this fortress?"

"That's actually quite smart," Nirvos complimented. "Now let us be off."

She smiled while Chloe frowned at such familiarity. When she saw her mistress walk alongside him, she scowled and had cut between them. Olga sighed in annoyance while Nirvos gave a soft chuckle.

 **XXX**

"The halls are quite dark," he mused. "I'm surprised that there aren't any torches in here."

"In the case where spies have infiltrated the fortress, I've decided that if they were to take this path then the darkness would confuse them," Olga replied.

They had finally reached their destination: a single door.

Nirvos was the first to enter, followed by Olga and then Chloe. Looking around, he saw what looked liked a walk-in pantry. Long shelves lined the wall with the rarest of weapons, armor and other types of equipment.

"A secret room?" Nirvos questioned.

"A room where my more valued treasures are stored," Olga answered. "However, they aren't as valuable as my staff."

Nirvos noticed another door right at the opposite end. Walking up to it, he tried to open it, but it wouldn't budge.

"Do you have the key?" He asked Olga.

She shook her head. "They took our belongings before imprisoning us."

The dark elf queen turned to her aide. "Chloe."

She nodded. "I'm on it, mistress."

Untying her hair, Chloe began to pick the lock of the door. It took a few seconds before she heard the click.

"It's open," she stated as she moved back to tie her hair once more.

"I'll have to go first," Nirvos said. "Your presence would definitely raise the alarms."

He slowly opened and saw the same two guards once more. They looked up and saw him.

"Nirvos! How'd you get in? We've been trying to open this door," one of the said.

Nirvos said nothing as he unsheathed Moonlight Reaver. Both of the guards saw this and stood up in alert.

"What's wrong? Did something happen?" The other guard asked.

In an instant, Nirvos had beheaded one of the guards. The other guard stood in shock, unable to comprehend what just happened. This allowed Nirvos to stab him through the chest.

"I didn't think you'd be swift enough to kill them," Olga stated as she and Chloe walked in.

"Not bad," Chloe remarked. "If I had my daggers, I would have done the same thing."

She found her signature pair of twin daggers sitting on one of the stands. "And now I have them."

Olga had also retrieved her magic staff.

"Lady Olga, allow me to undo your collar," Chloe offered as she slashed the collar, unbinding it from Olga's neck.

Olga felt something strange. She should be feeling her power coursing through her veins, but she still could only feel a modicum of it. Looking at her staff, she widened her eyes before scowling.

"Those sneaky rats," she hissed.

"What's the matter, my queen?" Chloe asked.

"They nullified my staff with enchantments!" Olga answered, feeling mad that her one chance of full power was dimmed by several magical enchantments. Sure enough, there were markings on the body of her staff.

"Kin...," Nirvos realized before a horn echoed through the fortress. "This is not good! They know we're escaping! That means that they're going to lock the front gate."

"What do we do then?" Chloe asked, not really excited by the fact that she could potentially be thrown back into that prison cell once more.

Worse, being stuck to those orcs.

Olga thought about it before an idea popped into her head. "We go back the same way we came from. Once we get out of the dungeons..."

"Then we could escape by using the path I snuck into the castle!" Nirvos finished in realization. "Olga, that's a brilliant idea!"

The dark elf queen smirked. "Was there ever any doubt?"

With that, they went back into the secret passageway, closing the door behind as to not get flanked by more Black Dogs. Once they made their way back to the dungeon, they found three of them looking for them.

"There they are!" One of them shouted.

"Damn it!" Nirvos exclaimed.

Chloe made the first move, running towards two of them with a torrent of slashes. With her speed and agility, they couldn't see it coming as one of them had their throat slashed. The other guard had his head stabbed by the side, the dagger going through the skull and right into the brain.

"You damn traitor!" One of the guards yelled. "I'm gonna kill you!"

Nirvos blocked several angry attacks with his shield before delivering a quick stab to the gut. With a swift slash, he had beheaded the mercenary. With the battle done for now, Nirvos wiped the blood of his sword as Olga approached them.

"You both performed excellently," Olga complimented.

"Thank you for your kind words, Lady Olga!" Chloe said, feeling elated for being praised by her mistress.

"Now let's keep going before more of them show up," Nirvos said.

"Hey!" Chloe yelled as she scowled at him. "My queen has paid you a compliment! At least be gracious about it, filth!"

"Chloe," Olga chastised sternly. "We have to move quickly."

"Yes, mistress," her aide bowed as she gave Nirvos a glare that could kill anyone.

He paid no mind.

The three continued on with their escape, with Black Dog grunts chasing after them.

"There they are!"

"Don't let 'em escape!"

"Kill him!"

"Is there a way to lose our pursuers?" Nirvos asked, seeing them close the distance.

Olga turned back and glared at them before chanting an explosive spell towards the ceiling, using up most of her mana.

 **BOOM!**

The ceiling had collapse and blocked the path, probably crushing one of them underneath the rubble.

"This should hold them off," Olga stated as they continued on their way to the exit.

"That was amazing, my lady!" Chloe praised in awe.

"Yes," Nirvos agreed. "A most impressive performance."

Olga hid a smile as she was complimented. However, she felt slightly drained due to the usage of her mana. Damn enchantments.

The group was halfway to the back exit until Nirvos stopped to find shadowed figures from the distance.

"Why did you stop? We're close to the exit!" Chloe glared.

"Look over there," he answered, eyes not taking off.

Olga raised her staff, the crystal illuminating through the dark halls. Three goblins. Minuscule green creatures with hook noses and pointy ears.

"How did they know we were here?" Chloe growled.

"It seems that Volt had set up the defenses once he took hold of this fortress," Nirvos guessed.

"Stand aside," Olga moved forward towards the goblins with an air of confidence. "As your queen, I command you to let us pass!"

The goblins looked at each other before they burst into hysterical laughter. The dark elf queen was shocked that they had the gall to mock her! Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment as she was being laughed at by one of the weakest creatures in her army.

"How dare you!" Olga exclaimed, clearly outraged by this.

Once the laughter died down, they gave her lecherous grins.

"You're no longer our queen!"

"Volt is our master!"

"And you'll be our bitch!"

The goblins prepared fire their blow darts at her. Olga was so shocked and embarrassed by their defiance that she didn't have time to put up a barrier. Fortunately, Nirvos made it in time and blocked the projectiles with his shield.

"Lady Chloe, now!" He exclaimed.

"On it!" Chloe yelled as she leaped over Nirvos and prepared to strike with her daggers. "How dare you disobey her majesty!"

With that, she prepared a hurricane of slashes that completely massacred the goblins thanks to her speed.

"Are you alright, Lady Discordia?" Nirvos asked.

Olga blinked and took a deep breath. "I'm fine. Your assistance was most appreciated."

She turned to Chloe, who had already finished butchering the goblins. Her aide looked back and ran towards her.

"Lady Olga! You're not harmed, are you?" She asked, worry clear on her face.

Olga gave a gentle smile as she gave Chloe a gentle pat on the head. "I am most certainly alright. Thank you for getting rid of the pests."

Chloe blushed from the praise, rubbing her arm as she looked at her own feet with a smile.

"We better go now. Volt might be there any sooner."

And just like that, the moment was ruined. Chloe scowled at Nirvos. Olga saw her reaction as she slowly shook her head with the same smile.

 **XXX**

As they made their way closer, the light in front of them was getting bigger. This was it! The escape that was going to happen!

And the finally had exit the fortress and into the outdoors...

"Well, well, well."

...and into Volt and his men.

They weren't a lot of Black Dog grunts, but enough to outnumber them. The trio backed up a bit as they kept on alert.

"And to think that you would join us," Volt muttered. I didn't figure that you were the type to betray people."

"I was never loyal to you," Nirvos retorted. "Only Eostia. And I guarantee that your rule is not best for the land."

"I'm trying to make it a better rule," Volt argued.

"And regress it into a time of barbarism?! That not peace! That's a corrupted injustice!" The strategist knight shot back.

The Black Dog leader clicked his tongue. "Well, it seems that we are at a disagreement. Boys, kill him! And take those bitches."

"Anymore bright ideas, human?!" Chloe hissed, getting into a battle stance.

"I do. And desperate times call for desperate measures," Nirvos assured. Lifting up his visor, he placed his thumb and index finger near his mouth and gave a whistle.

"FWEEET!"

His horse jumped right into the scene and landed right in front of them.

"Get on!" Nirvos exclaimed.

Without hesitation, Chloe helped Olga up before getting right up behind her mistress.

"Gonna play the hero to sacrifice yourself?" Volt snarked. "It's not like its going to do any good for you."

"Oh, I'm escaping as well," Nirvos retorted. "Olga, Chloe, cover your ears."

The dark elves looked confused. "Why?"

"Just do it," Nirvos assured. "Trust me."

Confused, they plugged their ears with their fingers. Soon, Nirvos had his visor fully lifted over his helmet. Taking a deep breath...

 **"SKREEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!"**

The Black Dogs covered their ears from the agonising supersonic waves of screaming that affected their hearing. Soon, they fell to their knees while futilely trying to block out the sound.

Olga and Chloe had covered their ears on time, yet they could hear the muffled vibration from Nirvos's sonic scream. Chloe's eyes went wide while Olga's had narrowed.

 _'Is he a banshee? No, banshees are female spirits. Sirens and mermaids are practically creatures of the sea,'_ Olga thought before he eyes widened in realization. 'That could mean one thing.'

Once Nirvos saw that they were keeling over, he stopped and quickly got up on the horse in front Olga.

"HYAAH!" Nirvos roared, causing the horse to sprint off.

 **(End OST)**

Once Volt got up, he saw that they were gone. Growling in anger, he smashed his fist to the ground.

"NIIIIRVOOOOS!!!" He roared to the sky in fury, one that echoed through the forest. The Black Dogs shrank back at their leader's anger.

Up in the fortress, a pair of red eyes had peeked through one of the window. He gave his bloodthirsty grin once more.

"Well done, Nirvos," Garokk gruffly congratulated. "Thanks to you, my sword continues to feed."

His sword was blinking rapidly, a piece of flesh falling to the ground.

 **XXX**

Once they made the distance, they began to slow down once they were in the clear but kept the moderate pace since they needed to stay alert. Olga looked back at the direction of what used to be her home. She frowned with sorrow as she had lost everything.

Her home, her people. The only one she had left was Chloe.

Olga closed her eyes as slowly buried her head right behind Nirvos's back, wrapping her arms around his waist. Hopefully, her aide didn't notice.

"Are they trailing us?" Nirvos asked while keeping his eyes on the route.

Chloe looked back. "It's clear."

The strategist knight sighed in relief. He looked up at the sky. It was starting to get darker with night approaching. They should have left the badlands by now.

"Knight, we should make a camp soon. We are fortunate enough to leave the desert but traveling through the forest at night is still dangerous," Chloe said.

"Yes, you're right," Nirvos mused. "Good thinking."

If anyone could see Chloe, they would notice her blushing up a storm by the compliment.

"Hmph! O-of course I am! I am Lady Olga's side after all!" she exclaimed, feeling slightly flustered.

Soon, they stopped at a creek. Nirvos tied his horse to a tree.

"I will find dinner," Nirvos said as he unsheathed his sword. "Could you please start a fire?"

Olga nodded before the knight left.

"Lady Olga, what was that spell he did to the Black Dogs?" Chloe asked in curiosity and worry as she gathered several sticks and twigs.

She looked at her aide with a thoughtful look. "With the vibrations you and I felt, it's a sonic scream. Only banshees, sirens and mermaids are able to use this spell."

"But banshees are female spirits while the other two are sea creatures!" Chloe exclaimed incredulously as she knelt down to start a fire. "Is he not human?"

Olga shook her head. "I've had my suspicions since we've met. He's something else, that is for sure. Maybe he might be like you."

Chloe looked to the direction where Nirvos went. The chance of him being like her were unlikely, but he wasn't human. She had to ask.

Nirvos had returned with a dead tiger, dragging its corpse by the tail.

"It tried to attack me, so I had no choice," Nirvos tried to justify himself.

Chloe gave a deadpanned look while Olga had to stifle her giggles as she looked away. Nirvos might be an enigma, but did he have to be silly?

Soon, they had tiger meat for dinner. Chloe frowned softly. He even ate with his helmet on. This was it.

"Why do you eat with your helmet on?" She asked.

Nirvos was taken aback by the sudden question.

"That is a good question," Olga followed. "Not once have we seen you take off your helmet. Even when we have our conversations back in the dungeons, you never seem to take it off."

Nirvos scratches the back of his neck.

"W-well, I do not wish to disturb anyone with my exposed face," he answered timidly. He felt more confident with the helmet on. "Besides, I need to control my hearing."

Olga shook her head with a reassuring smile. "I doubt that you're not as hideous as you think you are. I should know. Your eyes are quite easy to stare into."

Nirvos shook his head as he covered his visor with his hand. "They're unnatural, aren't they?"

"Of course they are," the dark elf queen said. "They are unique in a positive way."

Chloe could only stare in bewilderment. Was their captor, the one who managed to get her majesty to surrender, cowering like a timid maiden? And why was Lady Olga getting closer to him?!

"Lady Olga!" Chloe quickly interjected. "Shouldn't it be a good idea that he take off his helmet?"

Olga looked at her aide, before her smile began to grow slightly. "What a splendid idea! Sir Nirvos, I implore that you take off your helmet so that we can see your facial features."

Nirvos gulped. "I-if you insist."

With that, he slowly took off his helmet. The expressions of the dark elves slowly began to change as they looked in shock.

Nirvos had long flowing white hair that illuminated in a lighter blue. His pointy ears had stuck out of his hair while his blue eyes were catlike. His pupils were aquamarine. His teeth had small cute little fangs. His skin was dark. Not as dark as a dark elf but as dark as obsidian. Because of that, his nose could only be seen sideways and not facing him. Interesting enough, his skin was slightly glowing thanks to his hair. If the shape of his face is to go by, it's heart-shaped into a feminine visage.

His appearance had blown everyone's expectations. Seeing them stare at him, he looked away while covering his face with his glowing hair to hide the blue blush.

"I better go and put my helmet back on again," Nirvos said as he placed it over his head. Even his voice sounded higher without the helmet! At least it was on the husky side. "I can't have anyone discover us."

That snapped out of Olga's thought. "Of course."

Chloe kept on staring at him. Not because of his appearance, but because of how familiar he looked. She must have seen him in person before, but where?

"Care to tell me more about yourself?" Olga asked.

Nirvos thought about how to make this short and sweet before looking at them. "I grew up in a small village before my home was raided by goblins,"

The dark elf queen couldn't help but slightly flinch at that. She remembered how she allowed the demon horde to violate those human females. Granted, she was still angry at those humans, but that was no justification whatsoever.

"I was later taken in by a weapon master under his tutelage," Nirvos continued. "He would send me to a scholar friend to teach me stratagems. Then I would spend my childhood hunting goblins."

"I would go on to fight bandits and barbarians before returning home to inherit my master's armor and sword," he muttered, remembering his master in his deathbed.

Olga hummed. That would explain how he got his equipment.

"I eventually went undercover to end a slave ring by joining the gladiatorial pits," Nirvos continued with his tale. "I freed the slaves."

Chloe's eyes widened in recognition while Olga looked even more curious.

"Were there any dark elves?" The dark elf queen asked.

The strategist knight thought. "There was one, but it's been quite some time since I got her out there."

Olga glanced at Chloe who slowly covered her mouth in disbelief.

"A huge number of former slaves wanted to follow me to serve their allegiance. So that fellowship turned into a militia," Nirvos said.

"A militia?" Olga mused. "You mean a small army that volunteers for free?"

"Yes," he answered.

"I thought that you would've turned into a mercenary group," Chloe wondered.

He shook his head. "All we needed was the food to eat since traveling is free."

"Anyway, one of our biggest battles was a pirate war," Nirvos continued on with his tale. "We assisted Eostia military to repel them."

"Ah, I've heard about that," Olga commented. "They surrendered to Celestine's forces, didn't they?"

He nodded. "Our fame grew all thanks to that victory. Because of that, mercenaries began to look down on us."

"Tch," Chloe muttered. "Of course they would, knowing that they only care for profit out of glory."

"It's not their fault," Nirvos stated. "Times were tough during the war, so they needed something to help with their lives."

"Eventually, the militia had disbanded after an incident and we all went our separate ways," he continued.

Both of the dark elves wondered what the reason was, but did not decide to ask since there might be a reason why that was omitted.

"Eventually, Lady Lucross had personally gave me a visit to recruit me into her army as her strategist," his continued. "Of course I accepted. And I've been there ever since."

Olga had a neutral look on her face. Deep down, she was impressed at how he went front humble beginnings to receiving a high position all because of his hardwork. If only he had been on her side...

Chloe, on the other hand, could only hide her baffled look. She wondered why someone like him would work with those humans after he had seen the crap that they pulled! It just doesn't make any sense!

"So how about you?" Nirvos asked. "I would like to hear some stories from you."

Olga hummed in thought, wondering what she could tell him. Before she could reply, Chloe had beat her to the punch.

"I'm half elf," she said. "My mother was a dark elf, but my sperm donor-"

The way she phrased it was filled with venom.

"-was a human. He sold me to a human nobleman who kept me as a slave for a long time."

She closed her eyes as she remembered all the times she was abused and molested, being forced to entertain at the very whim. She felt someone's hand locking on to hers. Opening her eyes, she saw that it belonged to her mistress, who gave her a comforting look. Chloe smiled as she continued her tale.

"Eventually one day, I was freed by someone. I couldn't remember his face, but he allowed me to escape and run. I did, but eventually, the noble bastard caught up with me."

She eventually smiled wider as she glanced at Olga. "Just as he was about to capture me, Lady Olga had came to my rescue."

Chloe leaned on Olga's shoulder, nuzzling into her. "Ever since then, I've stayed by my queen's side ever since."

Nirvos sympathized with her. Being out in the wildlife was dangerous. He was glad that she had someone that finally cared for her.

"Did you know what ever happened to your mother?" He asked.

Chloe frowned before she shook her head. Nirvos took a deep breath.

"I see all these emotions are running high. We should get some rest," he advised. "I'll keep guard."

"Yes," Olga agreed. "That sounds like a nice plan."

With that, the dark elves took their positions and lied on the ground.

"I apologize if I didn't bring any sleeping equipment," Nirvos said.

"It's fine," Olga assured. "I've been stuck in a prison cell."

"I'm used to it," Chloe stated with a yawn.

"Goodnight, Nirvos," Olga said as she she asleep.

"Goodnight."

 **XXX**

Nirvos looked up at the stars, watching as they twinkled like crystals.

"I wonder if a shooting star would appear," he mused. "I would like to make a wish."

"Oh? And I wonder what kind of wish is that."

Nirvos turned to see Olga approaching him, taking a seat next to him.

"You should be resting, Lady Discordia," he said.

"As should you," the former queen retorted playfully before frowning softly. "You must be really exhausted."

He shook his head. "For soldiers like me, there's no rest at all."

Olga sighed in annoyance. "I swear, you're too uptight. Even I know when to relax."

Silence filled the air as they watched the stars.

"Why do you still hide your face underneath that helmet?" Olga asked.

"I do not want anyone to catch us here," Nirvos answered. "Besides, I am different from everyone else."

"Then take pride in the fact that you're different," she said. "You are a very unique person."

Slowly, she lifted up his visor and looked deep into his eyes. "Besides, I yearn to see your face."

She giggled softly once she saw Nirvos's blush a luminescent blue. He quickly hid his face by pulling down his visor.

"I better stay alert if any scouting parties find us," he said, still feeling flustered.

"Oh, but it's late in the middle of the night," Olga replied. "No one in the right mind would ever come out in the wildlife this late. Besides, would you mind keeping me company?"

Her voice sounded sultry and intimate. Nirvos stared at her before sighing. "Very well then."

He wished that he could find a song that allowed him to put people to sleep. Olga smirked as she scooted closer to Nirvos. Both of them watched the stars together.

This was going to be one of those nights.

 **XXX**

 _ **A/N: For the next chapter will be a meeting. Should there be a meeting or a summit? The meeting is just the Seven Shield Princesses while the summit is the expanded alliance of the Order of Chivalry.**_

 _ **By the way, you guys can try to give ideas of which crossovers you want for this story. However, it would have to be H-anime or visual novel. It can't be any mainstream ones like Highschool DxD, Fairy Tail or those kinds since it's exclusively towards H-anime set in the fantasy world.**_

 ** _On a second side note, this is a MASSIVE harem._**


	6. Return to Ken

_Celestine Lucross stood in stunned horror as the scene before her was one of the most vile and terrifying things she ever bore witnessed._

 _Females all over were being violated by these silhouetted figures. Pain, agony and a state of brokenness filled the expressions of these women. But what horrified her was that she recognized them._

 _The rest of the Seven Shield Alliance were in various positions where they were taken forcefully. They cried out in anger, sorrow and anguish as they were ravaged violently. They called out for help, pleading for someone to save them._

 _She turned to see Olga Discordia, who was placed in the same degrading position as they are. Her expression was that of anger, as if she was trying to defy her captors._

 _There was one person missing. What happened to him?!_

 _The scenario shifted, causing Celestine's expression to take one of horror._

 _Bodies of Eostian soldiers were sprawled all over the ground as each of them were killed by creatures of darkness. None of them had stood a chance as they were viciously cut down like chickens in a butcher shop. However, there was one individual she recognized._

 _'Nirvos!' Celestine tried to call out, only to her horror, that her voice was missing!_

 _He was on the ground, crawling towards his sword in a sea of corpses. His arm was missing, the wound bleeding immensely as he desperately tried to fight back. Despite his doomed determination, Nirvos's groans of pain were heard as he made his way to his sword._

 _Suddenly, a figure towered over Nirvos with a sword in hand. What shocked Celestine was that the weapon had a moving eye that darted around. Once the figure lifted up the sword, the eye settled on staring at the high elf queen._

 _Then, the blade moved downwards swiftly like a guillotine._

 **XXX**

Celestine gasped as she woke up, jolting upwards as she breathed heavily. Sweat poured down her head as it glistened from the window's sunlight.

Just what was that she had witnessed? Was it a nightmare or a vision to warn her about the future? She couldn't tell since Celestine was overwhelmed at such horrifying images.

When Nirvos's unit had returned to Ken, questions arose as the strategist knight's disappearance caused concern within the court. When he learned that he stayed behind to investigate the Black Fortress, Celestine could not help wonder what was going on over there.

For now, she needed to get ready for the summit.

 **XXX**

Morning had arrived as the sky was rather blue. The sunlight shone down in the open area of the forest. The fire had already died long overnight as the birds were chirping.

The blue orbs began to light up from Nirvos's helmet as he awoke from his slumber. As he became fully aware of his surroundings, the knight began to feel something weighing down on his left shoulder. Turning his head, he saw Olga Discordia leaning onto his shoulder, still slumbering in peace.

Looking in front, he noticed that Olga's aide, Chloe, was still asleep. Knowing what the younger dark elf was like, he needed to wake Olga up before any misunderstandings happen.

Slowly, he began to gently shake Olga.

"My lady," Nirvos whispered. "It is time to move."

Slowly, the former queen began to stir. Her eyes were fluttering as she was awake. Turning to her right, she looked into his eyes with a small smile on her lips.

"Is it morning already?" she asked, her tone indicating that she was slightly tired.

He nodded as he took his shield. "I think you should wake Chloe up."

Olga raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

Nirvos looked at her. "She seems to respond better to you."

The dark elf smirked and shrugged. "Fair enough."

With that, she approached her aide and gently tapped her head. "Chloe, it's time to rise."

Chloe groaned as she woke up. "My lady, is it time to go?"

Her mistress nodded as she slowly got up, rubbing her eyes. Nirvos untied the horse before helping it settle down.

"We better leave as soon as possible before the Black Dogs scouts can ever find us," Nirvos said as he prepared the saddle.

"Before we continue our venture, I believe that we need to handle the seating arrangements since yesterday's ride was..." Olga gestured a hand. "...abrupt."

"Oh," Nirvos muttered. "I guess it was uncomfortable for you two. What do you propose then?"

"How about I sit in front of Lady Olga while you walk alongside us?" Chloe suggested without missing a beat.

"Then having a horse would be pointless since we'd have to slow down," he replied.

"Then what do you suggest because you are not putting your hands on Lady Olga!" she exclaimed.

"Chloe," Olga chastised. "How about you sit in the front while I sit in the back? Chloe can sit right in the middle."

"Very well," Nirvos accepted without hesitation. "We need to hurry up before they catch up."

"Mistress, you can't be serious!" Chloe looked dismayed.

"Now is not the time for this, Chloe," Olga scolded. "We need to leave quickly."

Her aide bowed before shooting a glare at Nirvos. The knight helped up Olga on the saddle. He tried to help Chloe up, but she simply ignored him and got on right in front of her mistress. Nirvos finally sat on the horse right in front of her.

"HYAH!" Nirvos yelled as the horse rode off to Ken.

Nirvos had concentrated on the ride back to Ken. Because of his armor and vision of focus, he didn't feel or notice Chloe wrap her arms around his waist, leaning on his back.

Chloe could not shake this feeling when she wrapped her arms around him. She would always feel like this when she's around Olga, so why is she feeling like this with him? He was a stranger and what happened was years ago! Not only that, he didn't even remember! Adding to the fact that he was getting close to her mistress, she needed to be on guard and make sure he doesn't do anything that could defile her.

Olga noticed her aide's inner turmoil. A smirk adorned on her elegant features.

 _'Oh, Chloe. I wonder if you're ever going to tell him,'_ she thought as she enjoyed the breeze.

 **XXX**

The horse was slowing down the pace as Ken was close by. Nirvos needed to play it cool in order to make his arrival less urgent than it should be. He needed to give the report to Celestine without causing a fuss.

Right now, their horse was trotting towards the front gate. Two guards standing at the side of the gate slowly perked up and stayed on alert as they noticed the incoming visitor. Squinting, they realized that it was Sir Veuillet!

"Sir Veuillet!" One of them exclaimed in a greet as both of them approached the knight.

"Gentlemen, I have come to take these two to Lady Lucross," Nirvos stated, gesturing to the dark elves behind him.

The guards darted their eyes to them and scowled. Chloe shot them a glare while Olga's expression remained neutral. Nirvos continued on.

"Could you please open the gate so that I can pass through?" Nirvos requested calmly, hoping that the tension does not implode.

Reluctantly, the guard had nodded and signaled his fellow soldier to open the gate. "If they start giving you trouble..."

"Do not worry," Nirvos assured. "I have this under control."

Sighing in relief, the guard went back to his post as the gate was raised up. Nodding his thanks, Nirvos rode his horse through the gateway.

As they went into the city of Ken, bystanders began to notice the rider in the middle of the street. As Nirvos got closer to the palace, many people had already crowded through the streets.

It was a mixed reception since it was aimed at the ones who were in the middle of it. Half the crowd were cheering and singing praises for Nirvos, due to his delayed departure yesterday. However, the other half were calling for the heads of the dark elves as they demanded vengeance for the war.

Fortunately, a familiar unit had arrived to keep the bystanders away.

"Sir Veuillet, you've arrived," Declan said. "We've been expecting your arrival."

"Thank you, Lieutenant Declan," Nirvos replied. "How is Ramsey?"

"Thanks to the healers, he'll be out of action for a week," the head of the bodyguard unit answered. "Other than that, he's willing to do undercover spy work."

Nirvos nodded. Olga looked at him.

"You have spies?" she questioned. "I didn't think you were the kind that kept tabs on others."

"Ramsey's a scout. He does field work and information gathering on various cities and battlefields," he replied. "I need him for my stratagems."

Soon, they finally reached the palace. Nirvos got off the horse and landed on his feet. He offered Chloe to help her off, but she refused and got off herself. Olga, however, offered her hand to him. Before he could do anything, Chloe had quickly cut right in front and helped her mistress.

Olga sighed while Nirvos shrugged.

A guard decided to help him take the horse to the stables.

"Declan, could you please inform Lady Lucross that I've returned?" Nirvos requested.

His lieutenant bowed as he went inside the palace, the trio following him. Once they got inside, the rest of the unit soon followed.

"This place hasn't changed," Olga mused. "It just feels like yesterday since I left."

Nirvos listened to her musings as they made through the corridors. She would remark on several details like how the pillars were still intact or how the walls were as pristine as ever. He wondered if the dark elf queen missed Ken.

Chloe merely looked uninterested, but on the inside, she was in awe at how extravagant the building was. It was a palace, but it definitely looked more amazing than any other residences.

It was nothing compared to the Black Fortress, but still.

"I have to warn you, Lady Lucross is currently in a summit now," Declan said.

Wait, what?

Nirvos's eyes had widened. A summit? Now? Why?! He needed to inform the news without inciting a riot! Especially in front of foreign dignitaries!

"I...see," he muttered. "And care to tell me who these visitors are?"

Declan thought about it before answering him. "We have the royal families of Dragundaala and Rothschild, the sisters of Fredenia and the princess of Elstein."

"Ah, so the Order of Chivalry is still active. I wonder how those countries are doing now?" Olga wondered wistfully.

The Order of Chivalry was considered to be one of the greatest alliances in history, working together and helping each other to keep peace and harmony throughout the land. Unfortunately, Olga was a member of the Order. Because of her betrayal, the alliance had been shook to the core. Soon, while the members were still allies, they had slowly distances themselves due to several political problems in their own countries.

The only ones remaining were the Eostia, Dragundaala, Rothschild, Fredenia, Elstein and Beneril.

"And Beneril?" Nirvos asked.

Declan had a grim look on his face. Nirvos knew what that meant.

"Right," he merely stated with a sigh.

"Excuse me, but what is happening in Beneril?" Chloe asked.

"Beneril..." Nirvos began with hesitation. "...is currently in civil war."

"Why?" she asked in confusion.

"It must be the internal conflict within the factions," Olga answered for him. "I see that some things still haven't changed."

Nirvos had let out another sigh in response. Northern and southern orcs still fighting one another. Men of the West still rebelling against the Human Alliance. And Mountain Trolls, Undead and Demons continuously running rampant. At least the Night Elves and Wood Elves still lived in harmony, if only they were apart from each other.

However, he had heard that the Night Elves planned to change their names to High Elves because of their mastery of magic. It was worrying.

"The king couldn't make it because of that, so Beneril is off the summit," Declan said. "The other countries still have their affairs to handle."

"And there was five left," Nirvos muttered. With the Black Dogs rebelling in Eostia, the Order might be over.

Finally, they arrived in front of the meeting room. Two guards were standing by the big door.

"Could you please inform them that Sir Veuillet has complete the mission?" Declan asked the guards.

The guards looked at each other and nodded before one of them entered the room quietly.

Chloe looked at her mistress, who looked slightly stiff. Normally, she could always see how Olga was stoic and cool. However, she could see her emotionless expression tense slightly.

"Lady Olga, are you alright?" Chloe asked, worry in her tone.

Olga blinked slightly before looking at her aide. She gave a soft smile.

"I'm alright, Chloe," she assured. "I'm simply intrigued to meet with Celestine once more."

 _'Not to mention that I'm feeling nervous,'_ she thought as she was too proud to admit it. It had been years since she had last seen Celestine.

 **XXX**

"And that's why we need to open up our trade routes to Dolvanas."

It was full knowledge that Celestine Lucross was a reincarnation of the goddess Laurentia. So, people have begun to look up to her for guidance. This made her the high queen of Eostia.

Now imagine to one's surprise that she found her position to be sometimes aggravating. She loved being queen because she could act more for the people. However, she sometimes disliked her position because of the political game.

Right now, the Order of Chivalry was in a summit as they needed to discuss their world affairs to improve rapport with each other. The Mortadella Brothers were representing Dolvanas and Michelle Pantielle was an uninvited guest.

Fortunately, the members of the Chivalry made the meeting more tolerable and bearable for her.

Each country sat around a huge round table where they were sectioned. Celestine sat in between Claudia on her left and Alicia on her right. On the left side next to Eostia was Elstein while on the right was Fredenia. On the opposite side facing them were Dragundaala on the left and Rothschild on the right. The rest of the secondary nobles like Pantielle and Mortadella were surrounding them along with the representatives' guards.

Julian Lawrence Dragundaala the Third was one of the wisest and most benevolent rulers in all the land. A man in his forties, he seemed to be slowly aging as his once-brown hair was starting to become gray. Despite his status of king, he was dressed in a luxurious three-piece silver gray suit with little decoration.

In contrast, Nina Dragundaala was around her thirties yet she still looked as young and beautiful as she did in her youth. Nina had an hourglass figure that looked voluptuous enough to attract a lot of admirers. She had creamy white skin and long blonde hair that reached her derrière tied in a blue ribbon. There were two crowns over her hair. One on top of the bun on her hair and the other just below it. Her emerald eyes held a regal maturity that could captivate anyone that looks into them.

Her attire looked similar to that of a bride as she wore a white choker that covered her neck and a small area around the base of her neck, a pink corset with white fur decorations on the top at exposed the middle of both her bust and stomach, white bridal gauntlets, an armored skirt that barely reached her knees, white knee-length stockings, blue round earrings and brown high-heeled shoes with gold accents that made her look almost a tall as her husband.

She seemed to be another ordinary woman, yet if anyone would look closely, her pupils looked rather reptilian in shape.

Sitting next to her parents was their only daughter Catue Dragundaala. Catue was as beautiful as her mother, inheriting her mother's creamy white skin. However, she held a beauty of her own with spiky snow hair that went below her neck and a double braided bun on both sides. They also had an odd purple tint at the top of her hair. She had also took after her mother's eyes, but these held a spark of ferocity within them.

Her attire was made up of a purple and white leotard-corset combination that gave a good view of her bust. Her left shoulder sported a small pauldron and her arms were protected with gauntlets, ones that had vambraces and couters designed to look like white feathers while decorated with pink ribbons. She also wore white stockings that reached her thighs and matching heeled shoes. Every single piece of silver armor seemed to have a dragon motif, as there were slight resemblances of dragon claws and wings in the design.

Dragundaala has had a long history as one of Eostia's allies due to how massive both countries were. Eventually, it was decided that working together would lead to a better future. Despite the many hardships that Eostia went through, Dragundaala stayed loyal to the Chivalry.

From Rothschild was King Alexander Rothschild, who had made several questionable decisions from the past. However, he still ruled the country fairly. Another high elf, he was a middle-aged man that wore a brown robe underneath a brown and red cape. His crown was red highlighted by gold and black. He had blonde hair and facial hair that went straight down.

Judging by his appearance, he looked rather jaded from all this political agenda that he had to play through to keep his kingdom safe.

Queen Christina Rothschild was an elven beauty that looked quite young for a mother. She had fair skin that shone in the sun, long golden locks that flowed down her back and captivating emerald eyes that were more human than Nina's. She wore a strapless lavender dress that was modest enough to leave to the imagination. There a violet choker around her neck that was connected with a necklace, hoop earrings on her elven ears, a forehead necklace with a small jewel in the center and lavender fingerless evening gloves underneath the sleeves of her dress.

Christina Rothschild was also known as the first queen of Rothschild. However, she seemed to sport a melancholic expression on her face.

In contrast to her was their daughter, Angelica Rothschild. Known as the Golden Princess Knight, she served on the frontlines of the Rothschild military and was one of the most proficient warriors on the battlefield. Sharing her mother's looks, she could be a splitting image of her if one thinks of the future.

Angelica had distinctive blue light armor. Breastplate over her olive tunic, spalders that are pointy, gauntlets worn over white evening gloves and greaves reminiscent to high heels that went over thigh-high white stockings. Matching blue tassets went over her lighter blue combat skirt.

Unlike her mother, Angelica held an air of confidence that made her opponents tremble before her thanks to her training as a knight.

There was one more member of the Rothschild royal family. However, she was different from them. Flora Fanferni was Angelica's half-sister from Alex's side of the family, born from one of the king's concubines. Unfortunately, she was born blind and had to be escorted around to prevent danger.

Despite her status, Angelica loved Flora. And the sentiment was shared by the other half-sister.

Unlike her other relatives, Flora had light green hair that stopped at her waist and amber brown eyes. She wore a pink dress and a red ribbon on her hair while white evening gloves were worn underneath her sleeves.

Rothschild had been established right after Eostia and Dragundaala. Throughout history, the bloodline was passed down through wedlock and heirs were politically scheming with one another. King Alexander was the one who broke this cycle by finally getting married to Christina. Despite their shady history, their loyalty to the Chivalry was still strong.

From Fredenia were the Amastira sisters that ruled together. One handled the political affairs and the other took care of the military side of Fredenia.

Arsura Magistir Amastira was the politician of the pair. Despite this, she was genuinely a kind person that tried to do everything in her power to bring peace within Fredenia. There was talk of an arranged marriage with one of the human representatives. She had cute emerald eyes, fair skin and golden locks of hair that went down her waist.

She wore a tiara that formed a circular shape on top of her head, a dress that combined light green, yellow and white. There were darker green outlines within the dress and a gold elegant pattern by the bust. A sapphire jewel held the dress together by the stomach area.

Her twin sister was Willan Rasteir Amastira, the commander of Fredenia and bodyguard of her twin sister. She held a strict demeanor like Alicia, but Willan meant well since she was a soldier. As expected of a twin, she looked very identical to Arsura. However, the only difference was that her long blonde hair was tied by a blue ribbon in a ponytail.

She wore a silver plate mail over a blue and white dress that had a golden pattern design. On her arms were matching gauntlets that were worn over white evening gloves. Tied to her shoulders was a white cape that went down her ankles. Her dress was held by a blue and gold double belt. Underneath her skirt was a pair of high-heeled boots that reached her thighs.

Fredenia used to be in a state of peace where elves and humans used to co-exist together. Unfortunately, there was an underlying tension between the two races as it was no secret that they were at each other's throats due to the fact that Fredenia was ruled by the elves.

Finally from Elstein was none other than the first princess, Elisabeth von Elstein. Fairly new to ruling Elstein, she was still inexperienced when it came to political affairs. She had fair skin, cyan eyes and blonde hair that went down her waist. Her hair was braided like Catue, but only on the sides of the head that were next to the ears. She had a rather sizeable bust that could compare to Nina's.

Elise wore a strapless pink dress that was similar to a ball gown, though it's sleeves were detached. On her head a silver circlet with a small red jewel on the center. Around her neck was a gold pendant necklace with a small ruby jewel. Underneath her sleeves were a pair of white evening gloves.

Next to Elise was not part of the royal family but her bodyguard, Angelica von Eustest. A stalwart knight, she was Elise's childhood friend and trusted commander. Her skin as fair as her childhood friend, had red hair tied into a ponytail with a grey ribbon and sapphire eyes that had a spark of undying loyalty in them.

Anna (as referred to by her childhood name) wore a breastplate over a blue dress that only exposed a window of the top of her cleavage. She also wore a white cape that only reached her waist and white high heel boots that reached the thighs.

Elstein had a peaceful history and were new in the Chivalry. While they were fairly free of war, they joined the alliance in order to stay cautious of any battles headed their way in the future.

Celestine smiled at them before one of the more unsavory nobles continued to speak. She sighed as she glanced out of the window. She was truly worried of Beneril's status due to their absence. Beneril had always been in a civil war way before Eostia's. If only she could do something that would benefit everyone.

Then there was the former members of the Chivalry. Sure, they were still allies and would answer the call when necessary. However, what saddened her was how distant this alliance was due to many problems.

"So, my queen," one of the Mortadella brothers, Conti, said. "What do you think of this proposal?"

Conti and Ponti Mortadella were representatives of Dolvanas, best known for their trade business as merchants. However what they specialize is shrouded in mystery, which makes things questionable. They were orcs of the west, ones that were descended from pigs.

Before the goddess reincarnated could give a bland answer, the door slightly opened and everyone's attention was on a guard entering the meeting room.

"What is the meaning of this interruption?!" Michelle Pantielle exclaimed. "How dare you barge in here like you are in the same level as us!"

Michelle Pantielle was a noble of the house of Pantielle that resided in Ansur. He was rather immature and wasteful to the point of people wondering how he managed to retain such a fortune despite his lavish spending. He was blonde, overweight and dressed in colourful clothing.

"Lord Pantielle, calm yourself. He's only here to do his job," Jindrack Hemy said passively.

Jindrack Hemy was a prince of a small country near Dragundaala. He and Catue, they were both in an arranged marriage to unite the lands. Fortunately, there was a feeling of affection between them.

Jin was a young man around Catue's age, messy light brunette hair and green eyes. He wore a tight black bodysuit with white spaulders, gauntlets, tassets and greaves that were designed after dragons.

The guard promptly ignored Michelle (and silently acknowledged Jin) and turned his attention to Celestine, her expression shown how curious she was.

"Your highness, our strategist has returned!" The guard announced.

The Seven Shield Alliance looked surprised and slightly joyed that Nirvos had returned. Perhaps there was going to be good news that the war is finally over.

Celestine had a small smile that was genuinely starting to grow. However, it had been a long time since she met Olga face-to-face. So, she was understandably feeling nervous meeting her.

The foreign visitors merely looked in curiosity, wondering who Eostia's strategist was.

"Let him in," Celestine ordered. The guard nodded as he left the room.

Five seconds later, the doors had opened as an armored man in gold and black entered along with two dark elves and eight soldiers that wore gold armor.

"My lady, I have returned," Nirvos said as he knelt before her.

The high elf queen smiled before she darted her eyes to the rest of the new occupants of the room. Her eyes went slightly wide as she noticed one familiar face.

"Olga?"

"It's been a long time, Celestine," the dark elf queen smirked. "I see this place hasn't changed since I had last left."

Looking around, her smirk grew wider at the audience. "I see that the Order is still active. I thought that it would've crumbled long ago since I've never heard much about them."

As soon as she stepped forward, soldiers of each country began to move towards them with spears in hand. Claudia looked ready to stab their mortal enemy.

"What are you doing here?" The Dawn Templar questioned as she was prepared to unsheathe her sword.

Noticing this, Nirvos's bodyguard unit moved forward to intervene with their weapons out.

"Please, everyone. Let us not fight one another," Celestine requested as she tried to calm the room down.

"Stand down, men," Nirvos ordered his unit as he stood up. They obeyed.

The foreign representatives did the same for their soldiers. However, Princess Knights were still reluctant to do so.

"Can we please not have any violence now?" The goddess pleaded.

Eventually, they relented and sheathed their weapons.

Nirvos turned to face Celestine. She saw his eyes narrow.

"While I have completed the mission, we still have a huge problem," he reported.

His tone sounded grave, causing everyone to look worried. Celestine looked at him in the eyes.

"What happened?" She asked.

Maia's eyes widened in realization. "Where's Volt?"

Nirvos's breath was caught. This was not easy news to give out. Especially with Maia in the room, considering her past. Taking a deep breath, he decided to answer.

"Volt has taken over Garan and plans to incite a revolt," Nirvos replied. "He desires to take over Eostia, therefore declaring war on us."

Silence filled the room as everyone digested this information with disbelief. However, it ended with someone slamming on the table.

"That's impossible!" Maia exclaimed in outrage. "Volt's a good man! There's no way that Volt would betray us!"

"But he did," Nirvos replied seriously. "Even good men can turn bad."

"Watch your tone, bastard!" She harshly said. "You're talking about a war hero that did more than you could ever do!"

"Even war heroes have vices," Nirvos retorted, his voice slightly raised. "And where was that war hero when villages were being attacked?"

That question had taken the Mercenary Queen aback. Before tensions could rise, Celestine raised her hand to stop. She was slightly startled at the small anger in Nirvos's tone. Then again, even kind men have their limits.

"Let's all calm down and settle this peacefully," she said. Maia took a deep breath as she sat down, but not before glaring at Nirvos. Alicia stood up and glared at him.

"How do we know that this isn't some ploy by Olga? We barely see you at all in public. For all we know, you could be in League with these dark elves," she questioned, shooting a glare towards the dark elves. Chloe returned with a glare of her own.

"If it were a ploy, then I would have been dead before my return," Nirvos replied.

Claudia nodded. "Sir Veuillet has served her highness faithfully. I believe what he says is the truth. However, do you know the reason why Volt would betray us?"

Nirvos nodded. "He has realized that an era of peace has no use for mercenaries. So therefore, he desires to regress Eostia into a barbaric society where women have to serve the perverse lust of males due to the fact that the war was Celestine's and Olga's faults."

Everyone in the room had a mix of emotions. From disgust, horror, anger, outrage and disbelief. Nirvos noticed in the corner of his eye that there were a number of nobles had hidden looks of perversity and thought. Especially the Mortadella brothers and Michelle.

It put a gnawing feeling in his stomach, but he cannot do anything about it since this was recent news.

"That bastard!" Alicia scowled as her temper began to flare up at this reason for the betrayal.

"Alicia, please calm down," Prim pleaded, holding her cousin to calm her down.

Soon, the whole summit was in chaos as nobles were shouting at each other. The panic and frenzy were clear as another war was approaching. Nirvos was afraid that this would happen.

Celestine raised a hand to calm them down. "Regardless of what Volt's reason is, this does not change the fact that he has betrayed us and declared war on Eostia."

Julian turned to Celestine with a stern look. "Lady Lucross, Dragundaala will do whatever they can to aid Eostia."

"As will Fredenia," Arsura declared, stepping forward with a nod. Willan was startled by her sister's statement before nodding in agreement.

Elise didn't say anything, but she did give a soft nod. Anna noticed her reaction and began to grow concerned at her indecisive choice.

Nirvos looked to Celestine. "My lady, perhaps we can discuss these military matters in the war counsel after the summit."

Celestine nodded. "Of course. Now, on to more pressing matters."

Everyone's attention turned to Olga. Chloe tensed while Olga kept calm.

"What should we do about Olga Discordia?"

"We should imprison her before hanging her at the gallows," Claudia suggested.

"That's too generous. I say we burn her at the stake," Alicia offered.

"There have been spirits that were disturbed," Kaguya pondered. "Maybe we can appease them by sacrificing them?"

"I say we beat the info outta them before crucifying them," Maia cracked her knuckles.

"It's been a long time since we have them a sky burial," Lou-Lou said. "Maybe we could try it out now?"

Soon, many of the occupants threw out suggestions as how the dark elves should be dealt. They were rather bloodthirsty and violent.

There was a slight uncomfortable look on Celestine's face as she wondered how much bad blood this war has caused. Prim didn't say anything. Even though Olga was their enemy, she didn't have the heart to consider punishment. Elise remained quiet, as she considered if she should give her punishment idea. Julian and Nina looked concerned at the hostility enmating in the room while Jin looked bewildered at how politics could be like. Arsura covered her mouth, slightly put-off at all this hatred. Christina merely looked listlessly and Flora could only look clueless at the whole debacle. Nirvos's men merely stood on guard, not saying a word. Chloe's scowl went deeper as she stood by Olga protectively.

The dark elf queen merely looked amused.

Nirvos turned to Celestine. "I would like to propose a more passive punishment."

Soon, the whole room went silent as they began to hear out what the strategist has to say.

"Yesterday, a war is already over. Now begins a new war," he said. He turned to Olga. "I believe she could help us."

 **"WHAT?!"**

The outrage was loud and clear in the room. The more quiet ones were silent, curious as to what he was planning.

"Are you insane, Sir Veuillet?!" Claudia hissed. "Do you know what she did?! How many lives lost because of her?!"

"Yes," his blunt answer stunned the commander-in chief. "And we will punish her for that. But she has all the knowledge of Garan, the Black Fortress and the Badlands. So we need all the power and resource we can get to fight the Black Dogs."

"And you are willing to look past her war crimes?!" Alicia shouted. "You must be a complete fool to defend her! Either that or you must already be under her thrall. I wouldn't even be surprised if you were!"

"I'm afraid that your accusation is invalid," he dismissed with a hand wave, enraging her even more. "Her magic has already been nullified before we left the fortress. So, her mana is at a limit."

 _'Kin...'_ Maia thought, knowing that he was capable to do something like this.

Nirvos glanced at Olga with his good eye. "Besides, even if she did have that kind of power, she wouldn't be able to brainwash someone like me even if she tried."

The dark elf raised an eyebrow. "Is that a challenge?"

"Of course not," Nirvos replied smoothly. "It's a statement."

Celestine decided to slowly cut in. "Regardless, what punishment do you have in mind?"

He looked back at her. "You and Lady Discordia used to rule together before her betrayal. So I would like to suggest that both of them serve as Lady Lucross's subordinates and only her own."

"What?!" Chloe shouted in outrage. She refused to serve anyone other than her mistress! Olga merely looked stunned at this.

"Once we disenchant the magic runes on Lady Discordia's staff, she will be allowed to use her magic only with Lady Lucross's permission," Nirvos said.

He looked at the rest of the occupants in the room. "If anyone attempts to harm both of them, they will be sentenced to the stocks where they will be pelted and humiliated."

"Lady Lucross can lift the punishment when she feels the time is right," he looked back at Celestine. "I believe that this is fair, is it not your highness?"

Celestine could only look stunned at how planned out and detailed the punishment was. On the inside, she was beaming at how he managed to find a way to save her old friend.

Olga couldn't help at wonder how devious the strategist knight was. Magic was what she lived for. And to see her restricted and free to use magic under someone's permission really irked her. However, she did have to give credit to him for attempting to spare her and Chloe.

"My lady, you can't accept this punishment and serve the humans that have harmed our kind!" Chloe protested.

"It's either that or the chopping block," Nirvos said, causing Chloe to glare at him. His idea was rather lenient to say the least. If she were to refuse, then execution was the only solution since Eostia was out for their blood.

Celestine faced Olga with a hint of worry. "Olga, do you agree to this?"

Once they looked into each other's eyes, it was as if they were speaking to each other mentally. Olga could see the pleading in the high elf's look.

Eventually, she sighed. "It's not like I have a choice now, do I? Very well. I will play the role of your servant."

Olga smirked. "Perhaps I can use this chance to get my revenge on those filthy mercenaries."

Celestine nodded as she looked around. "Before we adjourn this meeting, there's one last matter I need to settle."

The high elf queen looked into the blue orbs of the strategist knight. "Sir Veuillet, If you would please kneel."

Nirvos nodded as he did so. Celestine looked down at him and thought for a moment before she spoke.

"If you would remove your helmet, please?" she requested.

If Nirvos had pupils, they would have dilated. He was nervous when his helmet is off. Especially in public where many people can see his exposed visage!

He took a deep breath as he moved his hands to his helmet. Maybe if he closed his eyes, then he would feel less nervous.

 _'Here goes nothing,'_ he thought as he lifted up his helmet.

If his eyes were opened, then Nirvos would have noticed the reactions on everyone's faces.

Everyone from Eostia looked in surprise and shock at the fact that the strategist knight wasn't human. Claudia had a startled expression, finally able to see what her comrade looked like without the helmet. Alicia could only look in disbelief at the fact that he didn't look like a brute or a thug. Prim had let out a soft gasp as she was entranced to his glowing hair. Lou-Lou had let out an 'ooh!' as she finally got to see what he looked like. Maia smirked at his rather feminine visage. Kaguya merely smiled and nodded, as her guess that he wasn't human was correct. Celestine merely smiled, elated at the fact that she was able to break a layer of the shell that he hid under.

Meanwhile, the foreign dignitaries looked at him in awe, wonder and curiosity as what he is was a mystery to them. Never have they seen his kind before.

Celestine continued on. "Nirvos Veuillet, you have done a great service for Eostia. Your deeds have brought a bright future to the commonfolk of this country."

Her expression turned into a frown. "However, there is a new enemy that wishes to jeopardize that future. Will you be willing to lay down your life once more and aid us in protecting Eostia?"

"Yes, my lady," Nirvos replied, eyes still closed. His voice sounded rather androgynous without the helmet.

"Then by the power vested in me as the ruler of Eostia, I, Celestine Lucross, bestow upon you, Nirvos Veuillet, for your loyalty, dedication and skill, the title of Grand Marshall."

Silence filled the air as they realized what she said.

 **"WHAT?!"**

"You can't possibly be serious!" Alicia protested. "He's only participated in one major battle!"

"Every battle is a major battle, Alicia," Claudia said. "Besides, Sir Veuillet has proven himself as a capable commander and skilled strategist in the battles we've fought together."

Lou-Lou had let out a snort of laughter. "That archbishop is not gonna be please when he hears that someone else has more power than he does."

At that, Maia couldn't help but chuckle at that. She really hated those uptight nobles. It'll be nice to see them get knocked down a peg or two.

"My lady, you must reverse this decision! Surely, you can't give such power to...that!" Ponti exclaimed.

Declan stepped forward. "You have no business in Eostia's court, Dolvanean."

"I-I must agree," Michelle whined. "He doesn't even have a noble house!"

"I may not like the guy, but he's a better choice than any of you nobility could ever do," Maia retorted, a seething anger towards the Pantielle slob.

Soon, the room was full of arguing. Celestine, Julian, Nina and Claudia had to calm the room down for a minute while Nirvos had quietly put his helmet back on. Olga merely stood back in amusement while Chloe merely looked dumbfounded.

"My decision still stands," Celestine affirmed. "From now on, he will share military duties with Lady Levantine and political duties with I. Do you object, Sir Veuillet."

He shook his head. "Nay. It will be an honor to serve-"

Before he could continue, he noticed a shadowy creeping beside Celestine. His blue orbs widening, he sprung into action.

"Look out!" Nirvos exclaimed as he pushed her highness out of the way.

Stannis was quick to follow as he shot an arrow at the shadow! Everyone had quickly drawn out their weapons until a man in robes appeared out of thin air, an arrow stuck in his chest. He fell to the floor dramatically once he was shot in the chest, letting go of a dagger.

"Are you alright, my queen?" Nirvos asked.

Celestine had let out a gasp as she slowly got up. "I'm quite alright, Sir Veuillet. But what was that?"

"An assassin with a cloak ability," he answered as Stannis went to inspect the body.

"His attire has an emblem," Stannis reported. "One that's shaped like a canine."

"No..." Maia muttered. This can't be! The assassin's probably a Black Dog turncoat! There's gotta be some explanation!

Stannis took out a scroll and unfurled it. Reading the contents, he had a grim look. "Sir Veuillet, you might want to read this."

The archer handed the opened scroll to his superior. Nirvos looked at it and began reading out loud.

 ** _We the Black Dog Mercenary Company hereby declare war on Eostia. For too long, this land has become weak, thanks to the Seven Shield Sluts. Men have grown subservient to them for far too long._**

 ** _No more will they serve women. Instead, they will have to serve us! We will restore the land to its former glory when women serviced men. I, King Volt, will create a world where all men will be pleasures by any woman they so desire. A paradise where women have to satisfy us and every man lives like a king! And it will all be built upon the cum covered bodies of the Princess Knights and Olga Discordia!_**

 ** _-Volt, King of the Kuroinu Sex Empire Cuntry_**

 ** _P.S: To the traitor, Nirvos Veuillet. You will regret your decision to cross me. I will get my revenge by personally fucking every single one of these bitches in heat right in front of you. Then, I'll make sure you get fucked real good before cutting off that pretty little head of yours._**

The room was in silence as they digested the reality of the situation. The Black Dogs have really waged war on them. Nirvos looked down the letter and took a deep breath before turning to Celestine.

"My lady, I believe it's time to start the war counsel."

 **XXX**

 **A/N: And that's a wrap! There were so many other H-series that I had to cut down to four. Shoutout to Sandshrew Master 317 for the ideas we've discussed about. And because of that, I allowed him/her to choose the five. Shoutout to Glexen for the really constructive chat we had.** **Credit to Raptorcloak for several names like Fredenia.**

 **

-Princess Knight Catue

-Himekishi Angelica

-Elf no Futago Hime Willan to Arsura

-Oujo Onna Kishi W Do Gehin Roshutsu

These are the four that have appeared now. The rest of the H-anime crossovers will appear in the future.

As for Beneril, it's a reference to a game called Warlords: Epic Conflict. It might pop up in the future, but this is as far as we can get to mention them.

Now there is a reason why I don't include ladies from Fairy Tail and Highschool DxD and all the mainstream anime. It's because there's plenty enough beautiful women in their own stories. Especially DxD. Maybe in the future, I _MIGHT_ write them. But they would be in their own stories. No crossovers whatsoever.

However, there are H-anime like Taimanin Asagi, where I'm contemplating because of the different settings that conflict with each other. Kuroinu is set in medieval fantasy. Taimanin is set in a modern setting. There might be complications with the writing, but I'm still contemplating on it.

Now question time: Who would you like Nirvos to interact with in the next chapter?

Feel free to post or PM reviews, criticisms or ideas.

**


	7. The War Meeting

Grand Marshall was considered to be the highest rank in any command. Most of the oldest members of the court would always have the distinction of holding such a prestigious title. So imagine to one's surprise when Nirvos Veuillet would be the one to hold the honor.

Nobility had been escorted out of the meeting room since military affairs were very confidential. The only exceptions were Klaus Levantine, who was a scholar, and Jindrack Hemy, who was vouched by Catue as a student of the art of war.

After the whining complaints of Michelle Pantielle had faded out (with a quiet sigh of relief from Maia), the meeting had become less crowded as the more important figures had decided to ponder their next move.

"Alright, I need to know the situation of each and every single one of your territory," Nirvos began.

"Here is the list, Sir Veuillet," Klaus did as the elderly man handed him a rolled-up piece of paper.

"Thank you, Lord Levantine," the strategist knight said.

"Oh, you can simply call me by my name," the scholar replied.

Nirvos nodded with acknowledgement before opening up the paper to read.

"We have a huge military number on us," he said. "However, I do have concerns."

"What is there to be concerned about, marshall?" Alicia questioned. "Our soldiers are strong enough to fight against these mercenaries."

"Yeah, we outnumber them by a huge margin!" Lou-Lou exclaimed in confidence.

"True," Nirvos muttered. "However, it's because of the Black Dogs that we have relied on them for too long."

"What are you implying?" Claudia inquired.

"Adding to the fact that nearly our troops have virtually been unused, I can only conclude that Eostia's army is lacking discipline!" He answered.

"That's absurd!" Alicia interjected. "Our soldiers have been focused on defending the fortresses from attacks!"

"Is that all you've been doing and nothing else?" Nirvos asked as he looked at her.

 _'Just what is he doing?'_ Julian wondered, observing this argument.

"Of course!" The Princess Knight of Iris answered with the affirmative.

"When was the last time you've conducted drills?" he asked.

That had thrown her in a loop as everyone watched this debate going on.

 _'Ah, so that's what he was doing,'_ the king of Dragundaala concluded.

Alicia tried to remember, as a lot was on her mind. When it was clear that she couldn't remember, she fired back with a flustered look. "I don't see how that's important! Our defenses are clearly our number one priority for the safety of the people!"

"Drills are always important, especially if you are commanding an army," Nirvos answered calmly.

Claudia nodded in agreement. "We need to strengthen not just their bodies, but also their minds as we."

"To leave a blade unattended for so long would only allow it to rust," Julian muttered wistfully.

Alicia could only sit down, feeling angry and embarrassed. The others felt bad for her.

"Though, I am curious as to what defenses you have made to Feoh and Ur," Nirvos inquired.

She looked surprised by that question before answering. "I have been focusing on the walls of the fortresses and anti-siege weaponry."

He was in thought before Nirvos nodded. "Quite an interesting use of resources. It will prove useful in the long run."

Alicia felt her pride build back up from that compliment.

"In fact, this paper says that the defenses for each fortress is strong," Nirvos continued. "Now that the fortifications have been settled, we can finally focus on our troops."

"What do you propose?" Celestine asked.

"For now, we need to conduct drills while we prepare siege weapons," he answered, looking at the goddess.

"Siege weapons? But that costs quite a sum," Claudia said, surprised by such an idea.

"Are you planning on increasing the tax?" Alexander asked. Christina gave a small hidden frown towards her husband, causing Angelica to look at her with concern.

"That is up to her majesty herself, but I would advise against it," Nirvos said. "The rapport with the commoners need to be cordial enough as to prevent another uprising."

No one objected to that.

"A rebellion over taxes is nothing new," Olga remarked.

"Of course you would know anything about rebellions," Alicia hissed at the dark elf queen.

"Don't you talk to my queen like that!" Chloe glared at her.

"She's not your queen now, half-breed!"

"Silence, you cur-!"

"Enough," Celestine said, causing the two to stop bickering. Even with her soft and gentle voice, her tone held firm authority over her words. "Let us get back to the matter at hand, shall we?"

Alicia and Chloe glared at each other before turning away with a 'hmph'.

Nirvos gave an acknowledged nod to Celestine. "Thank you, your highness."

She smiled and nodded for him to continue.

"Does anyone know about siege weapons?" He asked.

"I know a thing or two about them," Lou-Lou confidently said. Halflings were masters of smithing.

"I was hoping if you could get started on the construction as soon as possible," he requested.

The halfling frowned. "It will take a long time to build, so I'm not sure how long it would take."

"We cannot waste such resources," Claudia interjected. "The safety of the fortresses are top priority."

"The Black Fortress has not only strong fortifications, but the magical barriers are impenetrable," Olga said. "We need to use whatever we can to break down those defenses."

"Lady Kaguya, do you have any spells that can counter such?" Nirvos asked the priestess.

She nodded. "I know a few, but it will have to take more than just the arcane arts to break this kind of magic."

"Do whatever you can," he replied. He turned to the foreign delegates. "Are there any problems on your end?"

Julian looked down in thought. "There is an unknown force just by the east."

Nina looked at her husband. "You don't mean..."

He turned to her with a grave nod, causing the queen frowned.

However, Catue was undeterred as a wave of determination followed. "Whatever this new enemy is, we can take 'em on!"

Her father looked at her. "It's not that simple, Catue."

"Father, allow me to investigate the disturbance," the princess requested.

"Absolutely not," Nina shot it down. Nirvos noticed the maternal protectiveness in her eyes.

"But mother!"

"Lady Catue, please calm down," Jin said as he placed a hand on her shoulder. It worked as she sighed and took a deep breath.

"Whatever it is, I would advise keeping up your defenses," Nirvos said. "Such an entity means that we must stay cautious."

"Of course," Julian nodded in agreement.

"And what on your end, King Rothschild?" he asked.

"There is a small uprising in the northern part of Rothschild, but we have the situation under our control," Alexander answered.

"That's good to hear then," Nirvos nodded, though he glanced towards Alex's wife and older child. _'Though I can't help but wonder that there's more to that.'_

He noticed Christina's emotionless facade crack for a moment before it repaired itself quickly. Angelica was shooting a small scowl at her father, though she said nothing. Flora was absent in the meeting, probably still naive to the grey world of military affairs since Celestine's maids helped escorted her to the garden.

 _'It seems that the Rothschild royal family are hiding skeletons in the closet,'_ he thought. _'But that's something I shouldn't pry about. My main concern now is their cooperation.'_

"Would you still require assistance?" Nirvos offered. "Sometimes an uprising could turn into a full-scale rebellion."

The king shook his head. "I appreciate the offer, but I have full confidence that we can put down the rebels in no time."

"Very well," he nodded before turning to the Amastira twins. "How about you two? I hear that the humans have caused quite a stir in Fredenia."

Arsura smiled at him, though he could see that it was forced. "That's quite alright. We've found a way to stabilize the relations between the elves and humans."

Willan frowned slightly. "It might not be the most conventional choice, but nevertheless I believe that it will be beneficial for Fredenia's peace."

"Care to share with us?" Nirvos inquired, curious as to what this method was.

The sisters looked at each other uneasily before Arsura nodded. Taking a deep breath, she gave her answer.

"I have decided to offer myself in an arranged marriage with one of the human representatives."

This had caused an uproar among the meeting room. Julian and Nina frowned at the idea. Catue showed her distaste by protesting such an idea. Jin has to calm her down. Anna had a neutral look on her face, hiding her distaste. Elise frowned, but had a tinge of curiosity on her face. Angelica had a huge frown on her face, glad that her half-sister wasn't here. She looked at Alex, who had a contemplative look on his face.

 _'He better not be thinking about it!'_ She thought angrily.

Christina had a really sad expression on her features. Looking out of the window, memories of the past came flooding back to her mind. She could feel Nirvos's glance, but decided to keep quiet for now.

Amongst the Seven Shield Alliance, Alicia and Maia were the most vocal since they were romantics at heart. Lou-Lou was dismissive since she didn't really care about such matters. Kaguya showed no emotion as usual while Claudia and Celestine looked concerned. Klaus placed a hand on his wife's. Chloe rolled her eyes, glad that dark elves don't have such ridiculous traditions. Olga merely smiled, only enjoying the chaos enfolding here.

Prim was the only one to show her worries.

Prim had a lot of suitors attempting to court her. With both her beauty and her position as a princess, it was no surprise as to why she had garnered the affections of such. Alicia had driven them off whenever they got close to her. Back then, Prim didn't know why until now.

The idea of a loveless marriage had terrified Prim. She wanted someone to love her for who she is, not as a political chip. She loved Alicia but they were cousins. She was afraid that her affections would cause trouble for the Princess Knight of Iris.

Prim glanced at Nirvos, before the fluttering in her heart had returned like a dug-up memory. She might not care what he was, but the idea of intimate courtship with him made the young princess wonder about the future. Nevertheless, she wanted to spend time with him to see if he was a genuine person.

Nirvos raised his hand up to silence the room, the chatter slowly dying down. "This is her decision, but are you sure that you are certain of your choice?"

With hesitation, Arsura nodded. Willan looked away, hiding her emotions.

"I believe that she is doing the right thing," Alex said. "Everyone has to make sacrifices for the good of their country. Even I had to make them."

Nirvos could see a scowl break out from Christina's neutral expression, but she managed to keep it in.

"I understand the circumstances," Celestine said. "But please do not hesitate in asking us for help."

Arsura nodded with a smile. This time, it looked real. And Willan looked at the goddess reincarnate with a firm and appreciative nod.

Nirvos went to the final matter at hand. "And how are things at Elstein?"

Elise perked up and smiled. "Everything is fine! We'll be able to send reinforcements in no time!"

 _'And she said it straight to the point!'_ Nirvos thought as he observed her smile. _'At least she seems genuine about it.'_

Anna looked at her childhood friend in worry. "Princess, please don't decide so rashly! We need to consider the numbers in our forces!"

The princess of Elstein sighed softly. "Alright. Would you please give us a day to decide?"

Celestine nodded with a smile. "There is no need to rush with your choice."

She looked at Nirvos with a serious look. "Is that all, Sir Nirvos?"

He shook his head. "No, your highness."

"Then the meeting is adjourned," she declared.

 **XXX**

With the Seven Shield Alliance playing as hosts for the Order of Chivalry, Nirvos was briefing in to his soldiers. The soldiers were glad that their commander had returned and that he was given such a high ranking position of Grand Marshall. However before he could detail the situation, he needed to do something.

"Men, I have a confession to give," Nirvos said.

They were confused before their leader took off his helmet, shocking them.

"I'm not a human," he said. "I know that Eostia has always been inhabited by humans and beings of pure light, so I'm guessing that someone who isn't human might be a shock to you. If anyone has qualms against my kind, then feel free to speak."

Nirvos closed his eyes as he waited for the protests to form. He could feel the anticipation dreading inside of him, patiently accepting any shouting about how someone like him should not—

"Yeah, we reckon that you weren't human at all."

The lack of surprise in that sentence made him open his eyes on bewilderment. His soldiers were simply looking at each other with shrugs.

"You're not exactly the best at keeping secrets, considering that your habits are pretty suspicious."

"Let's not forget that we can see your eyes glowing underneath your helmet."

Nirvos sighed. Was he that obvious?

"Nevertheless, we still trust you with our lives."

He looked at them in surprise. Why?

"While everyone's been busy using the Black Dogs to fight their war, you've guided us to become actual soldiers by fighting bandits and other threats to our country."

"It shows how much you value us as soldiers."

"You never judged us for our pasts."

"And you try to never leave us behind."

"For that, we will repay the favor by swearing our utmost loyalty to you."

Soon, every member of Nirvos's unit began to take off their helmets one by one. Their commander had a smile on his face as they repeated what he did. Once they all unrevealed their own faces, they raise their fists in triumph and gave loud cries of encouragement.

Nirvos could feel the loyalty from them. He had tried to inspire them whenever they performed drills or go out to fight. The results were what he wanted, but this extent was still surprising.

"Thank you, everyone," he said once it died down. "Now, we are going to face our toughest war yet."

Nirvos told his men the situation. Needless to say, they were furious and excited. Furious because one of their heroes had fought for the country they arrived to defend, only to incite a revolt. Excited because that this was their time to shine and show their worth as soldiers.

Some of these soldiers were married and others had children. Few of them had a mix of both. If they were to live in such a future of a distorted paradise, it would be a fate worse than death.

"Tomorrow, I want you all to wear new sets of armor I will be funding," Nirvos said. "The war of yesterday was over. Tomorrow will begin a new war. And I want you to prepare yourself for the worst to come. Dismissed."

With that, his unit dispersed and had gone their separate ways.

"It's good to put more trust in your men."

Nirvos turned around to see Julian walking towards him.

"In return, they will return it with their own trust," the older man said.

"King Dragundaala," Nirvos greeted. "Being a king yourself, you must have had experience in the military affairs."

The king smiled. "Julian is fine when we're alone. But to answer your question, yes. Though it has been a while since I've gone into battle."

"It must have been quite a while then," the knight said. "Still, if you're thinking of sending reinforcements, you could use a good warm-up."

"Perhaps," Julian hummed before he unsheathed his sword. But it wasn't just any sword. It was a great sword with a distinctive curve. The blade looked really heavy, yet the king managed to wield it with one hand.

"Hopefully, you could provide me a good challenge," the king pointed his sword towards the knight.

Nirvos was reluctant to use Moonlight Reaver. He didn't want to hurt the king of a foreign country through a spar with actual weapons. However, backing down would disrespect King Julian's worth as a warrior.

Besides, maybe a warm-up before the real battle would help him get prepared.

Without a word, he unsheathed the Reaver. Holding his sword with two hands, he was the first to deliver the strike!

Julian blocked it with ease. "Oh, ho! Trying to catch me off-guard?"

Nirvos was pushed back before he was covered by an onslaught of attacks. Julian moved swift and elegantly as the weight into his attacks had caught the knight off-guard himself.

Realizing he needed to fight back, Nirvos found his strength once more and managed to block this time.

Julian was the first to parry before going for another flurry. However this time, Nirvos was ready as he began to dodge the attacks. He found an opening and blocked one of the strikes to push back.

Now it was his turn to deliver his offense. Julian had switched between blocking and dodging due to how light the Reaver was. Nirvos twirled his blade like a cartwheel in each side.

Julian blocked the twirl but Nirvos kneed him in the gut.

"Oof!" The king grunted. Nirvos tried to deliver a downward slash before he was tripped over through both feet.

Nirvos saw Julian from above, who was about to deliver a slash of his own. The knight blocked the attack with his Reaver before pulling both of his legs back and planting them on Julian's stomach, pushing him off.

Soon, they were swinging their weapons at each other. It resulted in deflections, but it ended up becoming a test of strength.

Nirvos went for a strike before it was bunted by Julian. Despite his own greatsword digging into his hand, he managed to twirl his blade, sending the Reaver knocking out of the knight's hands.

It took a few seconds before Nirvos realized that his blade was gone. And inches close to his shoulder was Julian's greatsword. The blade was deathly close to coming into contact with his skin.

Both men stared, the intensity of battle and adrenaline still lingering within their bodies. As the seconds passed, everything had subsided before Julian sheathed his greatsword.

"Your skills as a swordsman are quite impressive. However, you are in need of techniques to outmaneuver your enemies," Julian commented. "It seems that what lacks in your moveset, it makes up in pragmatism."

The old king looked up to the sky in thought. "I've taught my daughter the way of the knight. Using the more honorable and straightforward approach with these techniques."

Julian looked back at Nirvos. "It seems that your teacher had taught you the way of the warrior. Use whatever means to defeat your enemies. Sometimes I wondered if that method would cloud one's judgement and sully their honor."

The knight shook his head. "Honestly, I care not for the concept of honor. All I want to do is keep Eostia safe."

Julian sighed. Everyone had their own definition of honor. It was no surprise that not many people cared about honor since they have their own goals.

"Still, your swordfighting could use some work," he said. "I've heard of your duel with Garokk. He will be a threat if you don't watch out."

Julian turned his back towards him. "A commander needs to perfect any skill to his advantage. With the extent of what your combat entails to, I can only wonder how far you will go in this war."

With that, he walked off. Nirvos looked at where Reaver was before he clenched his fist. Not out of anger, but in contemplation.

He was right. Nirvos needed to train more. Considering that Garokk had wiped the floor with him, Maia and Lou-Lou combined, the knight needed to push his limits.

Maybe even break them if he needed to.

"I hope my husband wasn't too harsh with you."

Nirvos turned around to see Nina walking towards him. There was a small gentle smile on her face.

The pitch knight shook his head. "On the contrary, his words had allowed me to rethink my strategies."

She sighed. "You must be quite the serious person. I fear that you might end up like Alexander."

He looked at her in confusion. "King Rothschild?"

Nina waved it off. "Never mind about him. Let us walk to the courtyard."

Wordless, Nirvos nodded. He was still dumbfounded by the comparison. Then again, Alexander looked like he never smiled a day in his life. The pitch was capable of smiling.

It's just that no one had seen it under his helmet.

"My husband has an eye for potential," Nina said, enjoying the view of her surroundings. "Then again, if weren't in Celestine's service, he wouldn't have found out about you."

She looked at him with a smile. "Have you ever wondered what it would have been like being born in another country?"

Nirvos thought about it. There were many possibilities of what his life would've been like in many circumstances. He could have been a noble. Adopted royalty. Son of a veteran soldier. Maybe he would be raised in the dark streets of a broken society.

But alas, he was raised a farm boy.

"The thought crossed my mind," he said. "But honestly, I wouldn't have it any other way."

Nina's smile was genuine. In fact, her smile had always been like that since finally being able to talk with him. Here, her smile widened slightly as he gave a decisive answer.

Still, that was the one aspect she found out. Nina wanted to know what kind of a person he was. An obscure person to suddenly gain a huge rise through the ranks. And he was neither human nor elf, nonetheless.

Maybe he could...

"That boy, Jindrack," Nirvos mused. "Is he some sort of strategist?"

Nina hummed as they arrived at the central area of the castle. "He's my daughter's fiancé."

"Ah," was all he said.

"Don't tell me that you've taken a liking to her," she chided playfully. "And to think we could prevent a diplomatic disaster."

"Oh, no," Nirvos assured. "That was actually my third guess."

"Oh?" She inquired. "What was your second guess?"

"Your son."

She giggled at that. "In the future, you might be right."

"Still, blessings to the future couple," Nirvos said. "But what is your future son-in-law doing here? I expected that he would be back at Dragundaala handling affairs within the nobility."

"Jin is not just Catue's fiancé," she answered. "He's also my husband's protege."

"Protege?" The pitch knight was intrigued. "So he's learning the art of the sword then?"

"Not exactly," Nina trailed off. "He has always enjoyed knowledge, regularly seen reading a book in public. Julian decided to teach him about strategy."

"And he reason why he was in the military meeting was to observe and learn?" Nirvos guessed.

She nodded. "If he wanted to prove that he was worthy of marrying Catue, he needed to provide what he could do for the country."

Nina sighed. "Honestly, his love for Catue is enough for approval, but he insisted that he showed his devotion by becoming a strategist."

"You never had a strategist," he guessed. "Have you?

She shook her head. "Julian handled the military affairs while I shared political duties with him. Catue is a warrior that could be pushed to become one of the greatest commanders of all time if she actually had the motivation to actually study."

"So you and the king are doing well without a strategist then," Nirvos concluded.

She shook her head. "It's not that we don't need a strategist. It's hard to find one that is qualified in these areas. Julian is the king and I, myself, lack any military experience."

"Ah," he mused. "So Jin wants to improve on his leadership, wisdom and politics in order to become a great strategist."

"I admire his dedication," Nirvos said. "Someone willing to excel at something in order to show his devotion for his lover might not be an ideal motivation, but determination is very admirable."

Nina looked at him, her smile returning. "Since you're a strategist, I'll definitely take your word. After all, what better way than to listen to an ally's advisor?"

"You're too trusting," Nirvos said. "Then again, so am I."

Yes. Nina was sure that he could be the one to assist Dragundaala and end their troubles.

Suddenly, a messenger came running towards them. "Sir Veuillet! Urgent news!"

Nirvos and Nina looked at him, startled by the sudden urgency.

"What is it?" Nirvos asked.

"A faction called the Leaping Lizards is attacking in the northeast of Ken!"

 _'The Leaping Lizards have begun their move then?'_ Nirvos thought. _'It seems that the Black Dogs have made a huge impact with their revolt.'_

 **XXX**

 ** _A/N: Sorry I had to cut this chapter short. Originally there was going to be more, but with my other stories and future writing plans, I wanted to advance further. Nevertheless, you will see more interactions with the other characters._**

 ** _In other news, Liquid is releasing a sequel to Kuroinu at the end of the year. I'm wondering if they're gonna continue where they left off. Who knows? Wondering what kind of ladies will be there._**

 ** _Anyway, leave some comments and criticisms in the reviews. And the next chapter will be a battle with not the Black Dogs, but with another faction!_**


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